Unexpected Life
by haleydavisbaker
Summary: Brulian all the way! From first date and beyond: The Baker Family: lots of kids eventually! The twists and turns Brooke & Julian don't see coming...
1. Preview

Unexpected Life

This is a Brooke & Julian story. Julian never knew Peyton or lived in L.A. He grew up in Charlotte but moved to Tree Hill after Brooke moved to New York. Centers around Brulian. Maybe Naley in the future. I am not a Leyton fan, so don't expect them at all. Everything has happened OTH seasons 1-5. Brooke has moved back to Tree Hill and has recently given Angie back. No Sam…I love her but she wouldn't fit well with my story idea. Brooke was not attacked. Julian produces TV shows, not movies. So he lives in NC permanently for now.

Brooke P. Davis 22 - March 30

Julian Ryan Baker 23 – January 17

Just background info. First chapter will be up really soon.


	2. Chapter 1: Too Good To Be True

**First Fanfic. Love Brulian. Hope you like it. **

Chapter 1: Too Good To Be True

March 19th, 2010

Julian stood outside the red door for what seemed like an eternity to him. For no particular reason, he could not get the courage to ring the doorbell. He hadn't been on a date in...well,…he couldn't even remember how long. And this was just no ordinary date. At that moment, Julian Ryan Baker was the most nervous he has ever been since March 11 of his sophomore year of high school. Julian was picking up Brooke Davis. He was already in love and they had just met two days before.

Brooke and Julian met Wednesday when he went to COB to be fitted for a tux (Brooke already had a men's line). He explained to her how his sister's wedding in a few months and she insisted he look his best on her special day. They flirted while she took his measurements and fitted his suit. Julian was surprised at how aroused he felt. Not in the creepy pedophile way, but he felt as if he was a teenage geek who had butterflies around the head cheerleader.

They talked about her business, his production company, his television series that shoots in Wilmington, and their similarities with hostile parents. After almost two hours, he had been fitted and they were sitting in her store, just laughing. He has never seen any woman so beautiful. So taking a leap, he invited her to dinner that coming Friday night and after some reservation, she had accepted. He was floored because he had assumed she was taken. How could she not be taken?

That encounter led him to this moment. As he stood on her porch, ready to begin the rest of his life.

DING DONG…

She opened the door slightly and peered out before smiling and inviting him in. She said she was ready to go and he watched her glide from the door to the couch where her coat was resting. He must have startled her because she flinched when he accidently grazed her arm as he also grabbed for her coat. Helping her into it, Julian told her that she looked beautiful, and the beautiful dimpled he had dreamt about all week appeared. He led her in a mad dash to the car, as it had suddenly gotten very windy, and they drove away in his Mercedes Benz.

Brooke noticed how clean the interior was and smiled at the box of Cheese-Its that he tried to throw into the backseat before letting her see them. 'Have I actually met a great guy?' she thought. They made small talk on the way to a mystery fancy restaurant that he suggested and she found herself unable to control her mouth from smiling. He was so kind and gentle; he was the kind of guy she could really get used to.

At the restaurant, Julian impressed Brooke by getting them a table without a wait, and they ordered their meals quickly. Their food came out a while later, but to the smitten couple, it came out way too fast. They just didn't want the night to end.

Julian was doing everything he possibly could to impress Brooke. All he wanted was to see her smile and so far, he was doing a good job. When Julian had excused himself from the table and headed to the restroom, Brooke suddenly heard a soft song coming from Julian's chair. She leaned over and saw his cell phone lying on the seat and so she picked it up. She felt that it was rude to answer his phone but she was quite curious to see who was calling. She accidently dropped the phone which must have caused a button to be pushed, revealing a text message. Much to Brooke's surprise, Julian's blackberry screen read:

From: My Baby333

9:37 PM

i need you to come home

Brooke was shocked. She suddenly felt very angry and jealous of this 'Baby' person and began to jump to all these conclusions. 'Oh no. He's has a girlfriend! Or worse…he's married!' But for some reason, Brooke's heart just didn't want to believe what her mind was telling her. She had already started to picture her next date with Julian and was not about to give that up just because he possibly maybe has someone else already. She wanted to believe the best in him. So far, he had done everything right and he deserved her trust. She quickly placed the phone back where she found it and decided to pretend it didn't happen.

When Julian returned to the table, Brooke decided to tell him that his phone beeped. When Julian looked at the message, Brooke saw the color drain out of his face and a worried look emerge. He tried to keep his cool but quickly stood up again, apologized, and said he had to make a call. Julian rushed away from the table at a nod response from Brooke and began to call someone.

Brooke's fears began to resurface when he came back a few minutes later.

"I'm so sorry Brooke. There is a little emergency at...uhh...work that I have to attend to. There's a location for tomorrow that is going to fall through if I don't go to the office to sort it out. It's nothing big, but we'll have to cut the night short a little. I'm so so sorry. I'll take you home now."

Brooke nodded sadly. "Sure, but I can just take a cab. You should go."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes of course. Go." She didn't want to prolong the night anymore since obviously this woman was more important to him at the moment.

They both stood to leave. Julian whipped out his wallet and placed a crisp hundred dollar bill on the table and helped Brooke with her coat once again.

"I'm sorry things took a turn tonight, Brooke, but I had a great time. I would love to see you again"

Brooke nodded once again and Julian led her out to a cab. As she stepped toward the car, Julian quickly leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips.

"I will call you. Have a great night, my beautiful."

His smile was nothing she had ever seen on a man before. She would have fallen head over heals if not for his strong yet gentle grasp. Brooke stepped into the cab totally confused and bid him a good night as well. 'How can he be so charming and sweet and kind, yet he may be cheating on someone else with me?' she thought.

Brooke went home with mixed feelings. She didn't know if she wanted to get involved with a potential cheater, but her heart was winning at the moment.

Across town Julian rushed out of his car and into his house. His girl needed him and nothing, not even a date with a wonderful Brooke, would hold him back from her.

"Baby?!" he yelled.

His sister Jocelyn jumped up from the couch. "Where have you been? She's been crying for you! I'll go now; you should go be with her."

"Thanks, Joss."

Julian made his way up the staircase, down the hall and into the second door on the right.

"Honey, are you okay?"

"Come lay with me," the soft voice demanded, "I don't feel well."

Julian rushed over and lifted the covers in order to lie close to the smaller body.

"I'm here now. I'll make everything better."

Julian lay there, rubbing her back until the girl fell asleep, like he had so many nights before.

"Don't worry baby. I'll protect you… Daddy's here."

"Daddy's here Angel."

**Please Review!**

**~ Haley :]**


	3. Chapter 2:Miracles of Life and Love

**Hope you're enjoying my fic. I love the thought of Julian having a child. Usually you see the women with children, but its nice to see a dad stepping up and being there for his kid.  
Maybe its a little generic of a story, but its what i would love to see in a real show. No other OTH fic is like this with Brooke & Julian... :]**

**Thank you for your encouraging reviews.  
I appreciate everyone who took the time to read my story and truely have no issues with constructive criticism  
Thanks to Syrine.B for my very FIRST review ever :]]]]  
Thanks** **to** **Sweetestgirl123**, **LoveMeSOmeJulian, Angell4NEPatriots, Sab, & SyrineB. **

**Oh and ages may not totally add up, but that's not what's most important or critical to the story. **

Chapter 2: Miracles of Life and Love

Julian was fifteen when he has sex for the first time. He was in love with his long-time, since-kindergarten girlfriend Melanie Ana Grady and it was her first time too. They had not planned to and he didn't pressure her; it just happened. And though Julian thought he had used the condom correctly, boy was he wrong. Six weeks later, she told him that she was late. Like…LATE, late. He watched the rug pull out from under him as she held up the pregnancy test with double blue lines in front of his face. He watched his future crumble as they told their parents _together_. Because he was not going to leave his first love. Or his child. He was going to be a responsible kid…man…and take care of Mel no matter what they decided. He didn't let Melanie know this, but he actually wanted to keep the baby, but he ultimately left the decision up to her.

The next nine months was the most stressful of his life. Neither his parents, nor Melanie's mom were happy or willing to help the young couple. When Mel decided to keep the baby, she was kicked out of her house. She and Julian moved into a small apartment, worked extra overtime, and got everything ready for their baby to arrive.

On March 11, 2003, his beautiful daughter was born via C-section because of slight complications on Melanie's part. Her blood pressure was too high and the doctors felt it was safest to take the baby out immediately after a whole 23 hours of labor.

Nolan Ava Baker was a healthy 7 pound, 3 ounce bundle of pure joy that was placed in his arms. All his apprehensions left him and were replaced with love. Don't get me wrong, he was scared shitless, but he had never loved anything more. Baby Nolan, named after Melanie's diseased father, already had him wrapped around her tiny finger.

Julian looked up with teary eyes to see his beautiful fiancée crying at the sight of her family.

He thought they would be together forever. He was wrong.

The next day, while Julian was visiting his daughter in the nursery, Melanie started bleeding.

Her stitches from the C-section were infected and Melanie started seizing. She was rushed to surgery again to stop the bleeding. By the time Julian heard the news from a nurse, it was too late. Melanie had died and left behind a fiancée and daughter to fend for themselves. It was a horrible and unexpected event that the doctors were even baffled by.

For the past 7 years, Nolan has been Julian's everything.

He was terrified at first but Julian would not give up his daughter. She was the only thing that mattered now, and the only thing that reminded him of Melanie. They were extremely close and Julian did everything he could to make her happy. At first it was so tough, he didn't sleep, his school suffered, and friends were hard to come by. But Nolan was most important.

Julian's older sister Jocelyn helped him immensely. She was three years older and lived nearby in an apartment close to her UNC Charlotte campus, so she was Nolan's number one babysitter. Julian also had a little brother, thirteen year old Jason, but he didn't see Julian often anymore since his parents disapproved of him raising their granddaughter at all. They also had a tight hold on Jason so he would not follow in his brother's footsteps and reproduce too soon.

For the most part, Julian was on his own. He went to school most days and worked multiple jobs right after school until picking Nolan up at a local daycare. Julian also worked at the daycare during the summer a lot so he could spend less time away from his daughter, while still being able to support her. It took him an extra year to graduate, but Julian finished high school. He was dead set on giving his daughter a father to be proud of.

Julian made a good life for himself and his daughter. Eventually Julian got a job at a TV station in Wilmington and moved his way up through the levels of work. The boss saw Julian's determination and hard work and named Julian his replacement as producer when he retired. Julian now produces many new TV shows for the CW.

Nolan was now seven years old; just had a birthday. Her best friend was her daddy, but she also had a lot of friends from daycare, and now school. She had a 'boyfriend' named Logan, and all Julian could think of was Melanie. 'I will never let her date,' he thought. Nolan was the spitting image of her mother: smallest in her class, sandy blonde hair, and brown eyes. She was always talking when she was with her daddy, yet she was shy around strangers. Nolan learned everything girly from her Aunt Jocelyn. They would have sleepovers and give each other manicures and watch girly princess movies that Julian was sick of. Jocelyn also let Nolan read her fashion magazines including BDavis Magazine.

March 20, 2010

That morning Nolan woke up to the smell of her favorite breakfast: waffles. She rose from her fluffy princess bed and skipped out of her mega-pink room toward the yummy aroma. She found her daddy sitting on the couch reading the paper.

"Good morning No No. I knew the waffles would wake you up."

"They smell yummy daddy…. Dada, can we go shopping today?? It's still my birthday month you know!" Nolan grabbed her favorite pink plate from the counter and walked towards her father. She then shoved a fork full of waffles into her tiny mouth as she climbed into her dad's lap. She had definitely perfected the puppy eyes persuasion and was about to win. She knew how to work her father over.

"Oh you are so right baby. I guess we could get you something for being seven years and nine days old." He smiled down at his whole world who then laid her head back on his chest and took another bite. Julian knew she was content with just spending his day off with him, since she pulled this trick often, but he decided to spoil her a little more. That's what dads are for right?

"Why don't you go get dressed and we'll go downtown."

Nolan's eyes lit up. "Can we go to the pet store too?!"

"We'll see."

A few hours later, father and daughter were walking down Main Street with lots of bags in tow. Julian was of course carrying all of them while Nolan sported her cute purple purse that matched her ballet flats. Julian was enjoying the beautiful day when he suddenly realized that Nolan was no longer in front of him. He began to panic, turning around to see where she was. A few yards behind him, Nolan was stopped dead in her tracks staring into a store window. Julian quickly backtracked, ready to scold his baby girl, when he suddenly understood what had happened. Nolan was staring through the window at a beautiful long pink and sparkly gown. If Julian thought it was beautiful, he was not surprised that his fashion-obsessed offspring was mesmerized.

"Daddy…it's so pretty. I wish I could fit into it!"

"You're too little baby. When you're older, you will have plenty of dresses like that."

"Do you think they have my size?"

"I…" Before Julian could even answer, Nolan rushed towards the door and disappeared behind it. Julian began to follow her in when the logo on the door caught his eye. He had been here before.

C

B

Julian knew COB sounded familiar, but until he saw who was behind the exterior of the store, he simply could not place it. Inside, Julian came face to face with a fairytale. Nolan was in the arms of none other than Brooke Davis. Brooke was holding his daughter up so she was at eye level with the mannequin which held her new favorite pink dress. Brooke was laughing at Nolan, eyes wide, staring at the dress.

"Uhh…Nolan, what are you doing?"

Nolan turned to her father. "Daddy, look! This is the store where Aunt Jocelyn's magazines come from!"

Brooke looked up and locked eyes with her date from the night before. All morning, she had been trying to forget about him. For a second, she thought she was imagining him. But he was real. He was here. And this small child was calling him…Daddy?

"Brooke."

"Julian. Wow."

Nolan was now distracted by other pieces of clothing in the store. She slinked out of Brooke's arms and ran to another section of the shop.

"You…uhh…you have a "

"…daughter….Yes. She is my daughter."

"Oh…When she came in she said she _had_ to try on the bubblegum dress and that her daddy was outside, but I'd have never guessed…"

"Yeah. I'm sorry I didn't tell you last night. She texted me at dinner and she really never does that unless she is really sick or scared so I had to go. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but that's really never been good first date material."

"My Baby…" Brooke mumbled.

"What?"

"Last night I saw your phone said 'My Baby' with a bunch of hearts. I thought it was your wife or some other girlfriend. I never thought it was your kid."

"Haha. Well I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I just didn't want to lose you so quickly. You wouldn't believe the number of girls who have run away when they've found out."

"Well from what I've briefly seen, she is adorable."

"She is a Baker."

'There's that grin again,' Brooke thought.

As Nolan played in the clothing racks, Julian and Brooke sat while Julian explained the whole story. Being fifteen, his life with Nolan, his family, Melanie…everything. Julian wanted to be completely honest with Brooke. He trusted that she wouldn't run in the other direction.

"Daddy, I'm hungry now. Can we go to a restaurant with Brooke?"

Julian knew he loved his daughter. She had just given him the 'in' he had been searching for.

"That sounds wonderful, but you'll have to ask Brooke first."

"Please come with us Brooke. Pleaseeeeeee!"

"Well how can I say no to such a little fashion protégé?"

"YAY! Come on Daddy. Get her coat!"

"Yes ma'am."

The meal was one Julian would never forget. It was so easy to talk to Brooke and the fact that his daughter was now in awe of Brooke made things easier as well. He could definitely picture his life filled with many more days just like this one. He knew he was getting a little ahead of himself. It was still really only their second date. It really was a date-and-a-half since his daughter was the tag along. But he felt something special between them. He felt something he had never felt before. Not even with Melanie.

It was love at first sight: A love that even compared with the most important person in his whole world: His love for Nolan.

**Things moved a little fast i know. lol**

**Please Review.  
~Haley :]**


	4. Chapter 3: Code Girl Time

**Thanks everyone for reviewing. I appreciate it greatly.  
Any ideas that anyone might have will be taken into consideration and maybe used later on ;]**

**ITS MONDAY! OTH is the only thing that gets me thru mondays..  
Going to watch OTH now! :]]  
I want Brulian back together soooooo bad!**

Chapter 3: Code Girl Time

Brooke and Julian had been dating for a few weeks now and the Bakers couldn't be happier. Nolan was psyched that she had her fashion icon 'smooching her daddy', as she called it. Brulian had gone on many dates, but they also found time to spend together with Nolan. Julian wanted Nolan to feel included, and not feel upset that Brooke was hogging her Dada. Nolan and Julian even threw a mini-surprise for Brooke's 23rd birthday on March 30.

Friday, April 12, 2010

Brooke was driving back to the store after a meeting with the label when she heard her favorite ringtone: _Thunder_ by Boys Like Girls: the ringtone specially programmed for Julian.

"Hi boyfriend!"

"Hi Brooke…I ahh have to ask you a huge favor."

"Oh…okay. Anything."

"I need you to pick up Nolan from school…ahh if you can…no big deal if you can't…I'm sure you're busy…"

Julian was rambling. He was nervous that he was maybe moving too fast and didn't want to scare Brooke away. Brooke could sense his tension and stepped in with a response.

"Of course, whatever you need. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. It's just that there is now an emergency staff meeting about the show and really shouldn't miss it."

"Sure. I'll get Nolan. What time?"

"Oh thank you so much Brooke. Her school gets out in an hour."

"I'll be there."

"Okay great."

"Bye Julian"

"Brooke wait! You need the code."

"The what?"

"The code. Nolan and I have a system where she will not get into a car with anyone else besides me or Jocelyn unless they give her the code."

"Okay?..."

"I am just really afraid of someone taking her."

"That is really good Julian. Smart."

"Yeah I think so…haha…"

"So what's the code?"

"When she asks you for it, say 'No No Bear'".

"Okay…haha…why?"

"I'll explain later. I gotta go. Thanks so much Brooke. You're a life saver."

"No problem. Bye!"

As Brooke pulled up to the school, so many memories of Tree Hill Elementary school flooded her memory. She thought of a young version of herself and Peyton and Nathan and wondered if Nolan had friends like hers. When Brooke saw Nolan skip out of the school with her classmates, Brooke was surprised to see her holding hands with a boy. 'Boys at seven? She's even more progressive than I was! Her father must love this…if he even knows,' Brooke mused. She watched Nolan break away from the boy and wave goodbye before searching the line of cars looking for her father's car. Brooke decided to get out of the car and she walked over to Nolan.

"Brooke? What are you doing here? Where's Daddy?"

"Daddy got called into a meeting at work sweetie, and he asked me to pick you up. I hope that's okay."

Brooke had spent time with Nolan many times before, but never alone. Suddenly Brooke was nervous. Nolan looked skeptical so Brooke continued.

"I have the code if you are nervous. Then we can go and get some ice cream if you want."

"What did Daddy tell you?" Her voice was so innocent as she looked up at Brooke.

"The code is uhh…'No No Bear'"

Nolan smiled. "Okay. Let's Go." Just like that Nolan grabbed Brooke's hand and they walked to the car. 'Maybe this won't be so hard,' Brooke thought.

In the car, the awkward silence began. Brooke turned on her ipod adapter and handed the ipod to Nolan. "Do you want to pick a song?"

"Okay!" Nolan smiled.  
"So how did you and your Dad pick a code?"

"I have a stuffed Pooh Bear that I sleep with and when I was a baby, I used to cry and say 'No No Bear!' all the time. Daddy thought that meant I didn't want the bear, but when he took it away, I cried harder. He finally realized that I really wanted to bear. I was saying 'Nolan's Bear' but I couldn't talk well and it came out 'No No Bear'. Daddy does call me No No as a nickname sometimes since then."

Brooke laughed and smiled at the small girl in the rear view mirror.

"That is such a cute story…," and the silence continued.

"Brooke…?"

"Yeah honey?"

"Do you think maybe…uhh…we could have 'girl days' like this again sometimes? I love my daddy but I like to talk to girls too. He doesn't get girl stuff."

Brooke smiled. Maybe Nolan did really like her. Obviously she trusted her and wanted to spend time together. She imagined not growing up with a mother. Even though her mom was less-than-present, at least she was around to help with the real 'girl issues' like fashion, boys, and puberty. Nolan really didn't have that besides an aunt that came to babysit sometimes.

"I think that is a great idea."

"Okay…good…thanks."

"How about we have our own code? A code that only you and I know, that when we say it, the other knows that its time to schedule some girly activities that Daddy wouldn't like. How does that sound?"

"What code?"

"I don't know…how about…'bubblegum dress'?"

"Just like the dress from your store?! I like that code."

"Me too, Nolan. Me too."

**Short I know. I wanted to establish a good relationship between Brooke and Nolan. Brooke is really the only nother figure she's ever had.  
But I am using the next chapters as filler before I get to the main exciting story plots I have planned. **

**Please Review.  
~ Haley :]**


	5. Chapter 4

**I thought i'd get this next chapter out there quickly since i was given a much needed gift today: A snow day!  
Thanks to all who read & review.  
Hope you enjoy it.**

Chapter 4: Pink Meat

After the girls had ice cream, they sat on a bench in the park and just talked. Brooke thought that it was even easier to talk to Nolan than to Jamie, probably because she didn't know much about little boy things. Nolan was extremely smart for her age. She was tiny, but filled with bubbly energy, which was evident when she told a story about her daddy. They had been sitting for about an hour now and Brooke thought she should probably bring Nolan home now.

"But I don't want to go home, Brooke. I like talking to you!"

"I told you we can do this all the time, just us girls. Okay? Now your dad is probably waiting for us. He wants his angel home safe and sound."

"Brooke…Do you think you are gonna marry daddy and be my new mommy?"

"Why would you ask that?"

"Because Logan, at school, said that his daddy got remarried and now he has a step-mom that bosses him around a lot. He says she used to be nice, but now is mean to him and his sister."

"Oh Nolan, how could I ever be mean to such a wonderful girl? But your dad and I are not getting married anytime soon."

"Do you think you ever will?"

"Someday maybe…but you will have nothing to worry about if we do."

"Okay. I do think I would like you living with us. We've never had another girl living in the house."

"Haha, okay. Let's get you home."

"Daddy!"

Nolan bounded through the front door and spotted her dad sitting on the couch reading a script. She jumped over that back of the couch and onto his lap.

"Whoa! Did you and Brooke have fun?"

"Yeah we did daddy. We got ice cream!"

"Explains the sugar rush you have right now." He turned his head to look at Brooke with fake anger. "Before dinner Brooke."

"Uhh, I'm sorry I didn't think I-"

Julian cut her off. "Just kidding, I'm not mad. I just wanted to tease you." He laughed.

"Oh thanks. I do you a big favor and you're playing tricks."

"I know I'm sorry. I really appreciate it." He walked over and kissed her on the forehead.

"Oh it was no chore at all. Nolan and I had lots of girly fun."

Julian turned to Nolan.

"Why don't you go play in your room for a bit while I finish making dinner. I'm making your favorite."

"Pink Meat!?"

"Yes pink meat, my little money spender."

Julian watched Nolan skip off to her room then turned back to Brooke to see her puzzled look.

"Pink meat?"

"Yeah…it's prime rib. But that's just what she calls it. It's so funny to see the waiter or waitress's expression when she orders at a restaurant. And then when I tell them what it is, they comment on how she can't possibly eat all that. But she always proves them wrong. She has no problem spending my money, even just for a meal."

"Oh my gosh. That's so cute. It's good that she eats. Most girls don't so it's good that she does..."

"Would you like to stay and have pink meat with us, there is plenty and she would love you to stay…" He paused. "I would love you to stay."

"Well if it will make you two happy, then I guess I have no choice."

"Great!"

The pink meat meal was a great success. Each of the three couldn't help but think about how great their lives were at that very moment.  
They each were finally finding the missing pieces of their families. A mother; A spouse; A child.

**This was just a shorter filler story between all the major chapters I have planned. But don't worry I have longer ones on the way soon. I wanted to show Nolan's trepidations about having someone new getting between her and her father, since it has only been the two of them since the beginning. But I also had to include this story about the pink meat. My cousin Matty really does say that to waiters at restaurants. He is seven and eats a whole one by himself. Lol**

**Review please :]  
~Haley**


	6. Chapter 5 AND 6

**February break starts today! my last one ever...  
Because vacation makes me so happy, i decided to give you a long one today (even tho its not wicked long, it is for me lol)**

Here's more Nolan/Julian and then all three like readers asked for :]  
I aim to please

Chapter 5

October 27, 2010

Six months of dating bliss has gone so quickly. Brooke, Julian, and Nolan spent the summer in the Hamptons and attended his sister, Jocelyn's wedding to her fiancée Mark Matthews altogether. Nolan was the flower girl and Brooke made her beautiful subtly pink dress.

Nolan started second grade in September and her teachers had raved about her kindness and maturity at Parent-Teacher Conferences.

After staying together at the beach all summer, Julian had asked Brooke to love into his house permanently. Brooke accepted his offer and has been fully moved in for about a month now. Nolan had now started gravitating more towards Brooke for advice than her dad. Julian wasn't angry but he was a little upset at how fast his baby was growing up. Since Nolan loved Brooke so much, he didn't think she would have any objection to what he was about to ask her.

"Were you calling me daddy?" Nolan slid down the end of the banister of the stairs to her room and walked over to her father.

"Yes I did honey. I have something I need to ask you."

"Okay." Nolan sat beside him on the couch and Julian couldn't help but frown that she didn't climb into his lap like she used to do.

"I want to know what your feelings are about me and Brooke."

"I love her Dada. She makes you very happy. And she is so much fun."

"Does she make you happy?"

"Yes of course daddy. Why are you acting funny?"

"I am going to ask Brooke to marry me." Julian bit his lip while he tried to read her silent reaction. "What do you think about that?"

"Can I call her mommy?"

Julian smiled, relieved. "If you want to..."

"Okay. I think that's great daddy! When?"

"Tonight at dinner. While you are at Jocelyn and Mark's."

"Cool! I'm gonna help her pick out baby names! I made a list!...OoOo! Can I see the ring?"

Julian laughed. Of course his daughter was most concerned about the jewelry and her cousin on the way than anything else.

.

"SO how about until I bring you over there, we have some No No & Daddy time."

"I'd love that daddy."

Nolan ran and got out their favorite game to play together: _shoots and ladders_. Julian use to pretend to take his turn and always let Nolan win. Now he actually didnt need to try to lose; she was getting good.

"You lose again!" She stuck out her tongue and gave him a rassberry like she did everytime she won. Julian wiped his face, pretending she sprayed him.

"Ick. I'm gonna get you!!" He jumped up and chased Nolan around the house. She was fast and quick but he pinned her down behind the kitchen island and tickled her. He was gentle because he knew she would make herself sick if he did it for too long. But he loved when she laughed like this. It was a priceless moment together.

"Pleasee....haa...daddy. I hahaa love ya please..." She was losing her breath so he stopped tickling and smiled at his baby girl.

"It's gonna be different from now on isn't it daddy? It wont be me and you against the world anymore..." Her voice was sad and it broke his heart.

"Yes it's going to be different but i will always love you just the same. I was yours first and that will never change."

He hugged her tightly, not wanting this youthful stage in her life to slip through his fingers. He wondered if she'd grow to hate him like most daughters eventually do.  
He prayed to God that never happened. He prayed that the man who eventually took his place in her life and married her would be the kind of man she deserved: perfection.

____________

Brooke was wondering why Julian had insisted to go out without Nolan tonight. He knew how much she loved when Nolan was around and was curious and to why he was so adamant about being alone. Don't get me wrong, she loved being alone with him, but Julian seemed especially nervous at the moment.

Dinner was perfect and they decided to take a walk along the beach before returning home. It was a beautiful night and she just loved to stare at her handsome boyfriend under the moonlight.

He was playing in the sand with his toes near the water while she sat on a blanket and watched him.

"You know I love you right?"

"Of course I do Julian. Why are you acting funny."

"I really do. More than anything else in this world. Equal to Nolan that is…just in a different way."

"And I love both of you too…in different ways." Brooke giggled.

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Before she responded, Julian moved around his sand drawing and walked up toward her. Suddenly he started laughing and crouched down to lift her up into his arms.

"I don't want to get wet!" she squealed.

"That's what she said! Jinx!" they shouted together.

"I won't hurt you or throw you in the water. I promise."

He carried her bridal style down to the water and set her down on her feet. Julian looked out at the horizon before continuing.

"Seriously Brooke. I want to grow old with you and have my whole life with you. I want to stand here with you many many years from now and look back on our wonderful life. I can't imagine my life without you. I want you to be the mother of my children..."

"....I want you to be Nolan's mother."

He had said the last part about Nolan gently. He didn't want to scare her off or pressure her. He didn't know what was going on in her mind.

"Brooke…close your eyes." She didn't question. She just reacted and her eyes fluttered closed. She felt him move behind her and kiss her neck. She moved her a little and positioned her in front of his 'sand drawings'. "Okay, you can open up those breath-taking eyes of yours."

Brooke took a deep breath and opened her eyes. In the sand in front of her was written:

_'B&J: Marry me and be my wife'_

The message was incased in a heart. She turned sharply and came face to face the love of her life on a bended knee with an opened ring box.

"Make me the happiest man alive, Brooke...and let me be yours forever."

She thought it was so romantic that he said 'let me be yours' rather than 'be mine' like she was his property. Brooke was now crying and Julian was glassy-eyed as well.

"Yes, yes, yes! Of course I'll marry you!"

Julian stood and Brooke jumped into his arms. They attacked each other's lips and savored their moment together. Julian placed the ring on Brooke's finger. She was shocked at how good his taste in jewelry was. It was her dream ring given to her by her dream guy.

The couple could not contain their joy. They ran toward the car and headed home. Julian decided to leave Nolan at Jocelyn's for the night. He did not want her anywhere near the house while he was satisfying his fiancée. (His fiancée! OMG he was so happy!) They had come close to scarring Nolan for life this past summer and he would not take that risk tonight.

Tonight was one night neither would ever forget.

**Decided to put these two chapters together cause theyre kinda short and also because  
it annoys me that the chapter number doesnt match the number that appears before the titles. **

Chapter 6

January 2, 2011

Wedding, wedding, wedding was all that entered the minds of the Baker family for several months. All the preparations had culminated to make this day perfect for Brooke and Julian. They decided to get married right away and only had a few months to plan. Brooke had decided a while ago that she was crazy to do this all around the three major holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years, but it was too late to turn back now. Brooke made her dress, the bridesmaid's dresses, Nolan's dress, Jamie's tux, and Julian's tux with lightening speed. She had worked 24 hours a day to get everything done in time. Today was her day. It would be perfect.

"Mommy! You look beautiful!"

Brooke turned from the mirror in her white strapless couture dress to face Nolan. Although the adoption would not be finalized for a few months, Nolan has started to call Brooke her mother.

"You do too baby! Come her and let me fix your bow."

Brooke bent down to adjust the bow in Nolan's hair when Haley entered the room.

"Everything's ready. We're waiting on you Mrs. Baker."

Brooke couldn't do anything but beam with joy at the sound of her married name. She was getting married RIGHT NOW!

"Okay. I'm ready." Brooke had been ready for years.

Haley fixed Brooke's dress and handed Brooke her bouquet of Gerber daisies: her favorite flowers.

.

Julian stood at the front of the church next to his brother Jason, brother-in-law Mark, and Nathan. He watched as Brooke's godson, Jamie Scott, marched down the aisle first with the rings on a pillow. (Oh and Brooke had made 100% sure that no stalker-azzi or crazy nannies got anywhere near the Church today). Then his daughter walked delicately down towards him in her frilly dress. She smiled at him while she threw white rose petals in front of her.

Nolan was followed by a very pregnant Jocelyn, Millie, Peyton, and Haley, her maid of honor. Then the congregation stood and all Julian could hear was his heart beating. He was not scared. He was anxious. He was purely mesmerized. He watched the most beautiful woman in the world walk in slow motion down the aisle and into his heart, where she would be safely kept for the rest of time. He held out his hand and she accepted it. They turned and faced the priest.

"This is a day of great celebration of the love of this man, and this woman."

Julian could not hear anything else the priest said. He snuck glances at Brooke and took mental pictures. He wished that she would always be this happy.

They recited vows and said their "I do's" and before they knew it…

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride."

The moment was magical. Nolan ran up to her parents after the kiss and Julian scooped her up.

"I love you mommy. I love you daddy." "We love you too honey." Both Brooke and Julian kissed Nolan on the cheek before he placed her back down.

Everyone gave them a warm round of applause and they walked out of the church hand in hand.

They walked hand-in-hand into their new life as a married couple.

**Yay! They're married. I know I kind of moved very fast through these chapters but that is because I have great things planned for their future.  
This was all set-up for the real meat of the story. **

**Spoilers: Julian has to go away on a business trip. Girls' week! Then jump ahead a year. **

**Pleave Review.  
~Haley :]**


	7. Chapter 7

**Here's a Valentine's Day / Singles Awareness Day treat for all of you before i go out for the night!  
Dinner and seeing the Vday movie ;]**

**Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 7

Brooke and Julian took a week long honeymoon in Fiji after their wedding. They had the most wonderful time and were glad to have some alone time together. They were happy just to lounge on the beach and be in each other's company than doing any major activities that required leaving the ocean front hotel room. The week went by quickly and before they knew it, they were returning home. Nolan stayed with Nathan, Haley and Jamie for the week. The children were both happy to have someone to play with because they both secretly wanted a sibling of their own. Jamie and Nolan got along terrifically and they showed Nathan and Haley how caring and kind they would be to any future siblings.

The Bakers had been back little over three weeks now and today was a crazy, hectic day. Julian was scheduled to fly out to LA at four P.M for an on-location episode of his show and a meeting with the network. This would mark the first time he left Nolan for a few days EVER, the first time he and Brooke would be apart, and the first time Brooke would be left alone to take care of Nolan overnight.

Meanwhile, Nolan was off the walls today. She was so excited to get to meet her new baby cousin! Jocelyn's water broke last night and Baby Brianna Evan Matthews arrived at 4:02A.M. She weighed in at a healthy 7 pounds, 8 ounces and was cute as a button. The plan was that Julian and Brooke would take Nolan to see the baby and then the girls would drop Julian off at the airport.

When they walked into the hospital room, Nolan ran over to Jocelyn's bedside.

"Hi Aunt J! Is that my cousin?"

"Yes it is, would you like to meet her?"

Nolan climbed up next to Jocelyn and peered into the bundled blanket.

"She's pretty….Can I hold her?"

Jocelyn saw the terror on Julian's face but gave him a reassuring nod.

"You have to wash your hands first and sit in the chair."

Nolan did what she was told quickly while Jocelyn handed Brianna over to her brother.

"Hi baby niece, welcome to the world. We've all been looking forward to your arrival and now you're here!"

Brooke smiled. 'This is what he must have been like with Nolan…What he WILL be like with our babies' she thought.

"I'm ready Daddy!" Julian placed the baby into his daughter's waiting arms but lingered behind to hold the baby's head.

All the adults in the room fell silent as they watched the next generation of their family come together. It was a moment for the memory scrapbooks.

.

After practically dragging Nolan out of the hospital, they headed to the airport.

"Bye Daddy. I love you." Her eyes were teary and her nose was stuffy but she was trying to be brave.

Julian embraced his daughter. "I love you too baby. Be extra good for Brooke. Don't cause too much trouble."

He turned to Brooke and took her in his arms. "That goes for you too…"

Brooke giggled. "I'll try to be good…I'm going to miss you husband." "I love you wife."

With that Julian walked through the line to the metal detectors and was out of sight very soon.

"Okay lady, it's just you and me missy," Brooke joked. She could tell Nolan was getting misty-eyed and wanted to distract her.

"What do you want to do this weekend?"

Nolan dropped her head. "I just wanna go home."

Brooke was shocked. She had never seen Nolan upset, especially after just holding a new baby within the hour. Brooke grabbed her small hand.

"Everything is going to be alright, Nole. We're going to have lots of fun, okay, and daddy will be home before you know it."

..

The girls made it through the first night and day without Julian just fine. Brooke made sure to keep Nolan's mind busy so she wouldn't be too sad. But tonight was different. Nolan didn't want any part of the game-night Brooke had planned. She was quiet at dinner and wouldn't open up to Brooke. Right now Brooke was sitting on the couch, reading her own magazine, while Nolan was getting ready for bed.

"I want Daddy…" Brooke turned to see Nolan, her face red with tears. "Oh honey, what's the matter. We were doing so well. What's going on?"

"I don't …feel good…my head…and…tummy…" Nolan whispered between sobs.

Brooke stood, walked over and knelt beside Nolan. She took the child into her arms and felt Nolan tense up. "No I want daddy! Daddy takes care of me!" Nolan tried to pull away but Brooke held her tight around the waist. Brooke lifted her free hand to Nolan's forehead and felt the heat even before touching her skin.

"Oh Nolan, you're burning up. Let's get you into bed and I will take your temperature, okay."

Nolan seemed to have no reaction to that, so Brooke picked her up and started carrying her to her bed.

"Daddy lets me sleep on the couch when I'm sick. I watch TV." Nolan whined.

With that, Brooke spun around and rerouted the two bodies towards the living room. On the way, she stopped in the bathroom and grabbed a thermometer. It took some convincing, but Nolan placed it under her tongue and kept her lips closed. The silence killed Brooke. She hoped that she was doing the right things. She also hoped this was not a real sickness, just a child wanting her Daddy back home safe. Who wouldn't want that?

Beep.

Brooke removed the thermometer and squinted at the numbers. 101.9.

"Oh no. You do have a fever honey. I'll go look to see what we have in the cabinet for medicine. You stay here."

Brooke sprinted to the bathroom and pulled her phone out of her pocket. She rifled through the cabinet while waiting for Julian to pick up. "Hello?"

"Julian…Nolan has a fever."

"Oh Brooke…I'm sorry you have to deal with this."

"No it's not that I just... I don't know what to do. I've never had a sick kid before."

"Okay calm down. What's the damage?"

"101.9…that's high, right?"

"A little, but nothing too serious. There is some children's Tylenol and Nightquil in a purple bottle. Give her one tablet of one and a spoonful of the other. Believe it or not, she likes them."

"O…kay. I found them. What else do I do? She's already on the couch, what if she gets sick…I don't know if I can deal with vomit Julian!"

"Brooke, calm down...everything is okay."

"Easy for you to say…You know what you're doing."

"Deep breath. All you can do is be there if she needs you. I am coming home tomorrow first thing. You're doing great Brooke. Believe that."

"Thanks babe."

Brooke hung up and made her way back to the child. She grabbed a water bottle and handed the medicine to Nolan. She made a face, but then took all of it.

"Do you want me to get you something to eat?"

Nolan shook her head.

"I can put in a movie…what's your favorite?"

"High school musical. The original."

"HSM it is then."

Brooke started the movie and sat at the end of the couch, by Nolan's feet.

"Momma, can you hold me? Daddy does it when I'm sick and I always feel a bit better. It helps me fall asleep."

Brooke was touched. She was relieved that she could help Nolan in some way.

"Anything you want honey."

**Please Review.  
~Haley :]**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Half way into the second HSM movie, both Brooke and Nolan had finally fallen asleep. They had missed some key parts in the movies when Nolan ran to the toilet to be sick three times, but Brooke was too preoccupied with taking care of the child to enjoy them anyways.

When Brooke awoke, she was sitting up on the couch with the tiny girl sprawled across her body. Nolan's head was resting on her shoulder, bum was in her lap, and arms were wrapped around her arm. Brooke snaked her left arm free and felt the girl's forehead. She was no expert on child illness, but she knew what a fever felt like on her hand. Brooke sighed. 'Why can't it just be a 24 hour bug?' she thought.

Brooke picked up Nolan, placed her down on the couch, and stood up. She walked to the refrigerator and extracted her cell phone. She thumbed through the emergency numbers on a list and called the one most appropriate: Memorial Pediatric Care Center.

"MCC Pediatrics how may I help you?"

"Yes hi I need to make an appointment for my daughter, Nolan Baker.

"Wellness or sick visit?"

"Sick. She has a high fever and has been sick all night."

"I have a 9:30, 10, and 11 A.M time available. Do any of those work for you?"

Brooke looked at the clock on the oven. 8:54. How long would it take to get Nolan ready? For her to get ready?...she picked a safe time.

"Eleven would be best thank you."

"Okay Mrs. Baker. See you and Nolan then." The woman sounded so cheery. Didn't she know her child was sick? Rude.

Brooke walked to the couch and watched Nolan's chest rise and fall. She would wait to wake her up until the last second. That was best, right?

After Brooke emerged from her lightening-speed shower, she checked on Nolan. Still fast asleep. Check.

After dressing and makeup application? Check.

After hair drying? Oh no. No check...

Brooke could here the revolving sound initiating from the back of Nolan's throat. She ran out of her master bathroom and toward Nolan's. Nolan was head first in the toilet, but Brooke could see from the sickness trail that she had not made it in time initially. Brooke reached out and grabbed Nolan soft bed-head curls and rubbed her back.

"Where were you? ....I called you." Nolan sobbed.

"I'm sorry. Mommy couldn't hear you. I'm so so sorry!"

"Daddy doesn't leave me when I'm sick!"

When Nolan was done, Brooke wiped her face with a tissue and carried her back to the couch.

"Let me go get you some new pajamas. I made you a doctor's appointment for a little under an hour from now.

"NOOO!" Nolan flipped out and jumped up off the couch. Brooke could see that Nolan's head was spinning and caught her before she fell to the ground.

"Baby you're sick. You need to be checked out by a doctor. I know its scary but I will be right there with you every step of the way."

..

It took great convincing, but they had made it on time. Brooke carried a sleepy Nolan through the doors of the doctor's office and up the desk.

"Name?" "Nolan Baker." "Please sign in. A nurse will call your name shortly." "Thank you."

Brooke sat down and kept Nolan on her lap. She did not want Nolan touching the dirty chairs that were infected by germy kids. A secondary infection was all she needed. Soon enough Nolan was called and she and Brooke were led into a room filled with animals printed on the walls. Nolan refused to sit on the exam table, but wanted Brooke to hold her. Only then did she cooperate. The nurse took Nolan's temperature, blood pressure, and asked Brooke about her symptoms before leaving the two girls alone.

A few silent minutes later, a knock on the door signaled Dr. Carver's arrival. Brooke did not know her, but she seemed nice enough. She started with a few jokes to lighten Nolan up but the child wanted no part in it. The doctor listened to her heart and lungs, looked in her ears, nose, and down her throat before the inevitable.

"Nolan. I need you to move to the table honey. Your mom can hold your hand the whole time I promise." Dr. Carver's voice was so gentle. Somehow that voice did the trick. Brooke placed Nolan on the exam table and took Nolan's tiny hand in hers. "I need you to lie back on the table Nolan so I can feel your tummy." Nolan whimpered as Dr. Carver removed her shirt and reluctantly did as she was told. Brooke noticed a visibly purple bruise on Nolan's lower stomach, almost hidden by her pajama bottoms. ...How had she not seen this? Why didn't Nolan mention it? Had she mentioned it?... Nolan squealed when the doctor lifted her pants a little and touched it gently. "Do you know where this came from sweetie?" Nolan shook her head.

Dr. Carver turned to Brooke. "I am going to have a nurse come in and get a blood sample. There is nothing to worry about…I just want to be thorough." Brooke was stunned and confused. Why was it necessary for a blood test if she _just _had the flu or something? "Mommy I need to go to the bathroom."

With Nolan safely inside the bathroom, Brooke flagged down Dr. Carver.

"What are you testing for? How sick is she?"

"We won't know until the test comes back. It could be just a regular bruise, but since she doesn't know where or how she got it, the bruise is also added to the list of symptoms."

Brooke swallowed. She had seen this on TV. Mysterious bruises usually meant one thing: cancer. "Please don't tell me you are considering cancer?"

"We can't rule anything out yet Brooke. That's what this test is for, among many other things."

A few minutes later, Nolan was laid back on the exam table by the nurse and blood was drawn. Nolan used her free hand to squeeze Brooke tightly while she cried silently. Brooke didn't know whether it was painful or if she was just scared. Both she assumed were true. Nolan was so brave that the nurse gave her stickers and a cool bright pink pencil.

A million thoughts ran through Brooke's mind. She was so overwhelmed, she just wanted Julian. She needed him. He would know what to do.

The nurse told Brooke that the hospital would call with the results within the next two to six hours. Brooke assumed no news would be good news and hoped it was all a huge wasted precaution.

After they got to Brooke's car, Brooke looked at her phone: 5 missed calls: Julian. Brooke did not want to cry on the phone to Brooke with Nolan in earshot. Brooke would not scare her unnecessarily.

When they got home, Nolan was asleep and Julian's car was in the driveway. He came out of the front door and carried Nolan from the car to her bed. Julian listened intently while Brooke tearfully explained what the doctor said and what her fears were. They cried together in fear until the call.

Julian rushed to the phone and answered eagerly. "Hello…yes, I am her father. Mmhmm. Yes. Okay…………..umm okay…..goodbye." Brooke could not read his expression. She willed him to speak fast.

"The tests came back okay. Everything seemed normal of a child with mild flu-like symptoms. They called in a prescription at the pharmacy and said she should be better within the week."

Julian smiled. Brooke smiled. "Nothing about cancer?…" "That was not even mentioned."

Brooke jumped into Julian's arms. She was so happy Nolan was okay! Her family was safe and fully intact. For a split second, she felt invincible. Like they had beaten the odds. Her child was safe. Her family was thriving…

….for now.

**Jumping ahead. The plot thickens! lol  
****Sadness ahead and then some drastic changes. **

**Please Review.  
I really don't like silent readers.  
Please tell me what you think! :]**

**~Haley 3**


	9. FATE

**Okay. This is the last update till at least Saturday cause won't be home till then. I have a busy vacation week planned with my two best friends!  
Eri & I are obsessed with OTH and we recently got Sara hooked so she's up to the beginning of season 7 now!  
She was always whining that she didnt know what Eri & i were talking about so we had many fun sleepover weekends together watching them.  
We got her _hooked_ on _Nathan Scott_ too! LOVE HIM! :]**

**_....haley and nathan are meant to be... ;] lol_**

**I love them with all my heart and i'm off to pick up Eri now.**

**I expect many messages when i return or i'll be very sad. lol  
I think this is a better one personally.**

**Here goes...**

Chapter 9: Fate

**_One Year Later _**

She thought it was fate.

Brooke found out she was pregnant on their first anniversary. She was so excited she couldn't contain herself. They had been trying all year and finally their 'hard work' had paid off. She thought her next dream was being fulfilled.

But it turns out that it wasn't really fate after all.

..

.

February 5, 2012

Julian led a distraught Brooke into their house. They had just returned from the hospital after a horrifyingly sad night. Brooke had experienced sharp pains and some bleeding during the night and Julian had rushed her to the hospital where they were told that Brooke had a miscarriage.

Her hopes and dreams about this baby were ripped out of her so harshly that she felt the physical pain of it all. After the OBGYN performed a DNC on Brooke, the doctors ran some tests. It was determined that Brooke had cists on her ovaries and uterus and explained that Brooke would most likely never get have a baby. They doctor explained that even if Brooke did become pregnant again, a baby may not make it to term. It would take a miracle.

Brooke's dreams were crushed and there was nothing Julian could do to soothe her. Nolan ran into the living room glad to see her parents home, but she stopped short when she saw Brooke crying. Brooke couldn't even look at Nolan. She was a reminder of the child she just lost and future biological children she may never have. Nolan had never seen Brooke like this. She was now scared and ran back to her room. Brooke didn't have the strength the say or do anything. She never saw this coming. After two 'sort of' pregnancy scares in high school, she never doubted her ability to conceive or carry a baby. It was just…assumed.

"Brooke, honey, please look at me." Her blank stare not only frightened Nolan, but Julian too. Her eyes were just so disheartened, sad…and empty.

"We lost a child and I know that you are hurting, but you have to let me help you. Let me in. Don't shut out your family." He sighed heavily. "We BOTH suffered a loss today. We need each other's support at times of tragedy and sorrow. It may make us feel better."

"I don't think I can do that." Brooke spoke softly before standing up and walking to the bedroom. She moved like a robot or a zombie. Brooke shut the door, locked it, and fell to the floor. She could not face him. She had failed him. She couldn't give him the thing they both wanted most: children together. Julian stood at the door.

"Don't shut me out Brooke. Don't do this. There are other options. We don't need a child with our DNA, it's the same as you adopting Nolan, and you love her just as much as a biological child. I know you do…Brooke, if you do not open this door, I will break it in."

He heard the lock on the door click and he opened the door to witness the sobbing mess that was his wife. He dropped to the floor and scooped her up in his arms. They sat there for a long time but he didn't care. He would be there for her…as long as it took.

"I want to have babies with you…I want to have your babies…" she sobbed into his chest, soaking his shirt with her tears.  
When she finally relaxed against him, he continued just to hold her. The silence was broken when they both heard a whimper from the door. Standing in the doorway was their Nolan. She was crying too, and when Julian extended a hand towards her, she ran into his arms.

"I'm sorry we scared you baby. Everything is going to be okay."

"I'm not gonna be a big sister anymore, am I?" Nolan's voice was so disappointed that Julian and Brooke both shed a few more silent tears.

"No I'm afraid not Angel. Someday, but not now."

Brooke didn't say a word. She just stroked Nolan's hair with her palm. She comforted Nolan the only way she could at the moment. No words were necessary.

"I'm sorry Mommy."

For the first time that day, Brooke felt a little better. If Nolan considered her mommy, then that was all she needed. She didn't want to make Nolan feel unloved like she had done that hour ever again.

"Mommy's going to be okay, Nolan. You and daddy and I will get through this. And we'll be stronger than ever, right?" she asked Julian, more for herself than for their daughter.

"Of course we will," Julian smiled.

;;

After Nolan was safelt asleep in her bed, Julian tried to talk to Brooke again.

"Please tell me what you're feeling. I want to to help you."

"I dont want to talk. I just want you..."

She attacked his lips with hers and her hands went right for his belt. She didn't wan to talk. She wanted to numb the pain.

She wanted her husband inside her. She needed him. It was the only thing that would help.

"Brooke...we shouldn't do this when you're upset."

She looked up at him with sad, empty eyes. "What...It's not like I'm gonna get pregnant..."

He tried to be gentle. But he was feeling the pain too.

It was how they grieved together.

They made love intensely, but it didn't numb the pain all that well. It wasn't romantic. It was tragic.

Brooke cried in his arms all night. Silent tears spilled from his eyes as well. Neither slept.

Things would go on like that for many nights to come...

;;

April 3, 2012

Weeks have gone by and Brooke was starting to feel better: physically and mentally. She was still very fragile and cried easily but she was on her way back from darkness. She and Julian had talked a lot about their options and decided that maybe they would adopt. They thought maybe they could possibly adopt a baby from another country. They wanted Nolan to have a sibling before she got too old that they wouldn't bond as well. During this recovery time, Nolan had turned nine and Julian and Brooke had both turned 25. They met with an adoption agency and were waiting to hear about placement of a child in their care. Brooke did not want to get her hopes up. She knew adoption took a long time and so she focused on her relationship with Nolan to keep her spirits up. They had many more 'girls days' and Brooke noticed that Nolan was really growing up to be a lot like herself. Nolan was always the life of the party and had a lot of friends. She loved fashion and was obsessed with the Jonas Brothers. Brooke bought her tickets to their concert for her birthday and Nolan was so excited that she danced around the house for days.

When Julian answered the telephone that day, he had been reading a script for a new pilot show while he laughed, watching Brooke help Nolan with homework. Needless to say, Brooke was not much help with schoolwork.

"Hello?...Yes, this is he…" his eyes lit up, "Yes, thank you for your call…ohh…yes we could, anytime…uh huh, yes. Okay sounds great…Thank you so much, just…thank you."

He hung up and noticed Nolan and Brooke staring at him.

"Who was that honey?"

"That was Marianne Parker from the adoption agency. She said they need a placement for a child and she wants us to meet with her tomorrow. We're getting a baby!"

Nolan smiled at her daddy. "Yay!"

Brooke was stunned but then jumped up. "Oh my God! Oh my God!" She ran over and jumped into her husband's arms.

Maybe it wasn't the fate they planned for or expected, but it was fate nonetheless.

.

**So sad at first i know, but ends on a happy note. Reviewers deserve it. **

**Please Review MORE!  
You can do it! :]  
~ Haley :]**


	10. Chapter 10

**THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO LEFT ME MESSAGES! KEEP IT UP!  
****I loved coming home and reading them all.  
I had a great time with my best friends!  
And we realized we are such a stereotype...a blonde(me), redhead,& brunette all sleeping in the same bed. any guy's dream lol  
We ate brownie batter, went to the malls, watched OTH, went to a party, and they helped me pick out my PROM DRESS :]] YAY!**

**I know people expressed the desire for a little boy for Brulian, and i don't want to give anything away but I DID PLAN to give readers what they want.  
You'll see. I promise.  
The adoption will not be as most of you expect. There will be a twist that i hope comes as a surprise.  
I am not disregarding your reviews, but i already had an idea going and started writing it.  
I am a few chapters ahead in writing, so that's how i get them out so fast.**

I will incorporate your ideas, just probly not as fast as you'd like.

Chapter 10

Neither Brooke nor Julian could sleep all night. They were so excited to be adopting. In the early morning, Julian turned over to find Brooke out of bed, standing by the window. He stood up and walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"This is really happening Brooke."

"Do you think I'm a good mom to Nolan?"

"You're the best mother I could ever dream to provide for my children."

Brooke took a deep breath. "I hope so…"

;

After dropping Nolan off at school, Brooke & Julian walked hand in hand through the doors of 'Family Hope Child Placement & Adoption Center'. It seemed hopeful enough so far…

A nice receptionist pointed them in the direction of Marianne Parker's office and they were greeted warmly.

"Please take a seat. I would like to review with you why I asked you here today."

"Members of our staff, including myself have reviewed your file and home evaluation and think you are such a great couple. We know you are ready to take on this responsibility since you have a daughter of your own and, Brooke, how you treat Nolan as your own is commendable."

"Well of course. It is most important that the child feels loved. I love her as if she was my own…she is now."

"That is very refreshing to hear. Now I have asked you here today because we have a grave situation on our hands. A little girl here at the Center has just lost her foster parents. They were planning on adopting her but they were killed in an automobile accident. It is very tragic and we would like to place Jordan in a new home. Oh…Jordan. That is her name."

"That is just awful." "Yes.....Wait...A little girl?....Not a baby?"

"I'm sorry if I wasn't clear on the phone, Jordan is five years old. Does this change your willingness to take her in?"

Brooke and Julian looked at each other. He nodded and Brooke spoke up.

"Of course not. Nolan would love to have a sister that could play with her."

"Are we going to be able to adopt right away? Or is it a foster care thing?"

"It starts out as foster care, but if you wish, you can potentially adopt Jordan within this year."

;;

After lots of paperwork was filled out, Ms. Parker continued…

"Now you will not be able to bring Jordan home to your house right away. We like the foster families to spend time with the child for a few days here before sending a scared child away. I will give you a copy of her file to take home to look over. Would you like to meet her before you leave?"

"YES!"

Brooke started beaming with happiness when they entered a large playroom of children.

Marianne Parker led them over to a small table in the middle of the room, where kids were having snacks. Marianne crouched down in front of a stick-thin little girl with a blue jumper on and soft chocolate brown curls. "Jordy?...There's some people I'd like you to meet." The child's piercing green eyes lifted to meet Brooke's. "This is Brooke and Julian. They would really like to get to know you. They have a daughter who is a little older than you who I'm sure would like to meet you too." Ms. Parker started to stand up when a small hand grabbed her. Marianne picked up the child and walked over to stand next to Brooke. "It is very nice to meet you Jordan. You are a very beautiful girl." And she was…Brooke was astounded by her beauty, but also her frailty. Brooke didn't think legs could be that thin.

Jordan lifted her head from the woman's shoulder to look at Brooke again. Then her eyes shifted to Julian. "Are you my new mommy and daddy?"

"Uhhmmm…" Ms. Parker broke the awkwardness.

"They are going to be your foster parents, Jordy. In the future they would love to adopt you, I'm sure."

Brooke spoke up. "Yes. We would love you to come home and live with us right now, but we can't today. We will be back tomorrow to get to know you I promise."

Jordan smiled for the very first time that day. Brooke didn't want to leave her behind. She wanted to know everything about this girl.

"Do you want to see my drawings?" Jordan asked.

"I'd love to." Jordan was placed on her feet and she grabbed Brooke's hand to lead her away.

Ms. Parker leaned towards Julian. "That is definitely a good sign."

;;

;;

Nolan was so excited about having a sister. She was ecstatic! Even though she had wanted a baby around, she thought it was cool that this kid was already old enough to play with. Brooke and Julian spend the rest of that day getting another twin bed, sheets and toys for Jordan. Julian insisted that he had enough clothes from when Nolan was smaller, but Brooke still got tons of cute new outfits for Jordan.

Julian and Brooke reviewed Jordan's file together after Nolan went to bed. They found that Jordan's full name was Jordan Ariana Jared and her birthday was September 30, 2007. She had been taken from her mother when she was almost four and had already been in four previous foster homes. The last of which was about to adopt her…

Her birth mother was hooked on meth and her father was unknown. Her mother gave up her rights soon after Jordan was taken by the police.

Brulian was heartbroken that such a young child was exposed to such a sad life. They would do anything in their power to make her feel safe.

;;

The next day, Julian could not miss a meeting at his office and Nolan was at school, so Brooke visited Jordan alone.

The little girl seemed very open to Brooke and was trusting. Jordan had seen a lot of foster parents in her short life; she was used to new people.

Right now, Brooke and Jordan were playing a game where they each told the other facts about themselves when they won a game of _rock-paper-scissors_.

.

Brooke: "I love coffee."

Jordan: "I'm scared of the dark."

Brooke: "Me too…I own a clothing store."

Jordan: "Really, can you make me something?"

Brooke: "Of course!"

Jordan: "I have a little brother. I haven't seen him since our first foster care place."

"What?" Brooke was shocked. Why hadn't this been in the file?

"He was a baby when we were taken from our mom. They placed us together in the first foster place, but then we were separated…Do you think you could take me to see him?"

"What is his name? I could try to find him."

"Tristan Carter Jared. Mommy let me name him. She picked four names and I got to choose one for his first name and one for his middle name."

"I think you made a good choice."

Brooke left Jordan to use the bathroom. All she could think about was this baby boy. Where was he? Was he safe? Would she be able to find him? Would Jordan hate her for not being able to find him? Before returning to Jordan, Brooke found herself outside Ms. Parker's office.

"Hi." "Mrs. Baker, do you have to leave so soon?"

"No. I wanted to talk to you about something…."

.

**I know Jordan is kinda like a repeat Nolan, but i thought about how great Brooke was with Sam on the show and wanted to mimic that a little.  
Plus there is a story to come with Tristan as well :]  
There is way more soon to come for the Bakers that i hope you will enjoy!**

**Please Review. I want your imput!  
~Haley :]**


	11. Chapter 11

**OKAY SO EVERYONE NEEDS TO WATCH ONE TREE HILL TOMORROW, MONDAY, FEB 22 at 8PM.  
It is crucial that the show get lots of viewers because the CW network is deciding whether OTH gets a season 8!  
Besides it looks to me like its gonna be a great episode with lots of Haley's mom drama and Brulian/Alex drama :]**

**I WANT A SEASON 8 SO SO BAD SO BRULIAN CAN HAVE BABIES! LOL**

**Please watch it so OTH can live for die-hard fans like myself.  
I would appreciate it so so much. :]]]]]**

Chapter 11

…_. Brooke found herself outside Ms. Parker's office._

"_Hi." "Mrs. Baker, do you have to leave so soon?" _

"_No. I wanted to talk to you about something…."_

Brooke had spent the next hour talking to Marianne. Ms. Parker explained that Jordan was separated from her brother because no foster family at the time had the proper space for two small children. Marianne also explained that Jordan and Tristan had different fathers. She gave Brooke information on where Tristan was living now and Brooke decided to talk it over with Julian. Brooke wanted to take Jordan to see her brother. She knew it would make Jordan happy, and that was all Brooke wanted. Ms. Parker told Brooke that they could bring Jordan home with them tomorrow since Jordan took to them so well. Brooke was very happy. She said goodbye to Jordan, gave her a big hug, and kissed her on the nose.

"You'll be coming home soon honey." Jordan smiled and watched Brooke leave.

"I like her, Marianne. I bet she's a great mommy."

;;

At home Brooke told Julian of the situation and he thought it would be good for Jordan to have a relationship with her real brother, even if they weren't living together. Brooke didn't tell Julian this, but she secretly wanted to just go and get him and take him in, just like with Jordan. But she figured she couldn't just do that. It's called kidnapping….

Brooke decided to call Tristan's foster parents and asked if she could bring Jordan by the next day to see him. But she got no answer. She left a message with her name and number but never got any call back.

;;

The next day, Brooke went to pick up Jordan from the center to take her home while Nolan and Julian did a little 'mini-welcome party' planning for Jordan's arrival. When Brooke arrived, Jordan was waiting for her out by the playground fence. Jordan jumped up into Brooke's arms.

"Can we go now?…I wanna leave."

"I know you're anxious to leave but I have to sign some papers first…"

Brooke walked inside with Jordan on her hip and, after signing release forms, Brooke picked up Jordan's things and they headed out. While Brooke was putting Jordan's light bag into the car, she wondered what it would be like to only have one bag's worth of possessions in your whole lifetime. Jordan waved to a few friends at the center and hopped into the backseat of Brooke's car. Brooke helped her maneuver the straps of a new booster seat Brooke had purchased and they were on their way.

"Now before we go home, I wanted to know if you wanted to make a stop somewhere."

Brooke saw the look of curiosity on Jordan's face in the rear view mirror.

"How would you like to go visit your brother Tristan?!"

Jordan's face lit up. "Really!!?!" Brooke got her answer.

.

Brooke pulled up to the small house and stopped the car. She got out and ran to the other side to get Jordan before she made a break for the door. All Brooke needed was to lose her foster child after just a half an hour. Brooke took Jordan's hand and they walked up to the house.

They rang the doorbell a few times but there was no answer. All of a sudden, Brooke heard a faint cry from inside. She didn't want to scare Jordan so she asked her to go wait in the car. Jordan did what she was told and Brooke locked the doors of the car when she was inside.

Brooke turned back to the house. The crying was louder now. "Hello?!" Brooke yelled. When she received no answer still, she tried the door. It was unlocked. She stepped into the house and it was dark. What she could see was dirty old furniture. The house was so gross that she wished she could erase this from her memory. Then she heard it again: it was definitely the cry of a small child. Brooke followed the voice into a makeshift bedroom with about eight small beds in it. On the bed furthest from the door was a small boy, sitting naked on the bed. Brooke saw his piercing green eyes as he cried and he pulled at his longish, strawberry-blonde hair.

Brooke ran over to him, picked up a blanket and wrapped it around the freezing cold child. She rocked him in her arms, trying to comfort him.

"Shhhhhh. It's okay. You're okay." She repeated this over and over. Trying to convince herself too. She peered around the room and opened all the drawers, trying to find clothes for this boy. She found a small tshirt, Spiderman underpants and shorts that were a little big for him.

"Do you know your name buddy? How long have you been alone for?" He didn't answer.

She placed the teary-eyed boy on the bed and began to dress him. She was horrified to find bruises all over his stomach and legs, leading up to his penis. She cursed the person who did this to a child.

"You're going to come with me and we're going to get you checked out at the hospital. Okay? You don't need to be afraid; I won't hurt you."

"Me Tistan mama."

Brooke was now crying too. This was Jordan's brother Tristan...she knew she recognized his eyes in Jordan. And he thought she was his mom.

.

She picked him up and carried him to the car.

Jordan saw them coming from the window and was all smiles. "IT'S TRISTAN! Is he coming to live with you too!?"

"Maybe honey. Buckle up. We have to take Tristan to the hospital okay. Can you be really good and help me with him?"

"Is he sick?"

"I don't know Jord."

Brooke buckled Tristan up in Jordan's booster seat and had Jordan sit beside him. They drove to the hospital and Tristan cried the whole way there.

Brooke called the 'Family Hope Child Placement & Adoption Center' and a social worker met them at the entrance to the ER. Tristan was taken back immediately and Brooke was forced to sit with Jordan in the waiting room. Jordan was scared that her brother was hurt, and so was Brooke. Only Brooke knew more about what kind of injuries Tristan possibly suffered, and those injuries were both physical and emotional.

Forty-five minutes later, the social worker and a doctor immerged from behind the closed doors. Brooke left Jordan to play with Brooke's purse and ran up to them. The social worker explained how Tristan had X-rays and a PET scan done to assess his injuries. He was severely dehydrated, slightly hypothermic, and required IV fluids and medication. The doctor explained that he saw signs of physical and sexual abuse and they estimated that he was alone for over a day. They had already contacted the police and were searching for these horrible foster parents.

This was too much for Brooke. She was crying now and didn't know if she could hear any more bad news. The two people commended her for saving Tristan and credited his life to her.

He would have been dead soon if she hadn't found him.

.

Brooke took Jordan by the hand and the doctor led them to Tristan's room. He was sleeping now, and was connected to many wires, but Jordan wouldn't leave without seeing him. She kissed his tiny head and his eyes fluttered. Brooke held his hand and they talked to him.

"Can he come and live with us? He is my brother."

"It doesn't work like that Jordan. I know you want to and so do I but he has to stay here tonight."

"How about tomorrow?"

Brooke couldn't say anything. She didn't know what was going to happen to him. She didn't have a good response.

"I don't know…" she spoke softly.

;

Jordan was sad to leave her brother but very excited to meet Nolan and to see her new room.

As they walked through the door, even Brooke was surprised at what Julian and Nolan had done.

"Where have you been?!" Julian rushed to the door and hugged his wife. He then looked down at Jordan.

"Nice to see you here, Jordan. Welcome home." He stooped down and embraced the little girl. Brooke was still in awe of how gentle he was and how much the girls, even Jordan who was still skeptical, loved him and smiled in his presence.

"Hi…" The three heads at the door turned toward the soft greeting from Nolan.

"Hi!" Jordan was the first one to speak up. "You're Nora right?"

"Nolan…You're Jordan. You're going to live in my room with me now. At lease for a while."

"Cool! Can I see it?" Jordan looked back at Brooke, so she responded.

"Of course!" She smiled. "Let's go."

;

After a tour of the house, they ate a welcome dinner prepared by Julian. Jordan didn't eat very much of the meal, but Brooke didn't think anything of it. She just figured she was nervous or too distracted to eat. Brooke showed Jordan all her new clothes and helped her pick out which pajamas she liked the best: the _Beauty and the Beast_ Belle pjs. They all changed and now the girls were watching a movie: _Finding Nemo_ on the couch together. Brulian was so happy to hear them giggling and talking and getting along.

Brooke took this time to tell Julian about Tristan. He was shocked and concerned too and was the one who suggested they try to take in Tristan too, even though that's what Brooke had been thinking all along. Brooke was happy and they decided that they would call the social worker in the morning.

When the movie ended, the girls were both half asleep. Julian carried Nolan and Brooke carried Jordan to their room and placed each girl in her bed, securely under the covers. Then they stood back and held each other.

"Goodnight mumma 'n…daddy," came from Nolan's bed.

"Nuh'night…," was faintly heard from Jordan.

All Brooke and Julian could think was that 'nothing was better than this'.

They would worry about Tristan tomorrow. Right now, they just wanted to savor this moment together watching the girls.

.

**Okay all you readers who wanted a boy, this is for you. I will fulfill your wish next chapter. :]**

**Review! Review! Review! Please! Please! Please!  
Tell me your thoughts or ideas!  
Remember watch OTH!  
~Haley**


	12. Chapter 12

**OTH WAS SOOOO AWESOME LAST NIGHT! YAY BRULIAN!  
but i'm definately going to have OTH withdrawerals over the next like 8 weeks! :(  
so i'll just have to write more here then**

Chapter 12

The worst sound in the world is the desperate cry of a scared child.

That is the sound that the Bakers were awoken by at 3AM that morning.

Still dizzy from sleep, Brooke and Julian jumped out of their bed and ran down the hall to the girls' room. Julian arrived first and stopped dead in his tracks, saddened greatly by the sight he found. Brooke pushed past him and ran to the source of the cry: Jordan's bed. By this time, she was sitting up in her bed, curled in the fetal position with her head buried in her arms. Brooke wrapped her reassuring arms around the girl and felt the frail body tense with fear.  
"Everything's okay, baby. Look at me Jord, honey. Please don't cry. We'll protect you. Shhhh…"

Nolan was now crying as well, frightened by Jordan's screams. Brooke looked up and saw how scared Nolan was.

"Take her out of here," she told Julian, "...It's okay. I've got her for now. Nolan shouldn't see this."

Julian bent over the bed and rubbed Jordan's neck while whispering, "We won't let anyone hurt you Angel. Get some rest." The last part he intended for all of his girls, all three of them; Brooke looked exhausted too. With that he scooped Nolan up in his arms. She laid her head on his shoulder and waved goodbye to Brooke when Julian turned around to leave. She was worried about Jordan too but also just wanted her Daddy's time.

Brooke continued to soothe Jordan although she didn't think it was working. Eventually Jordan's breathing slowed to normal and Brooke decided to say something.

"Can you tell me about your nightmare sweetie? It will make you feel better to let it out."

Jordan raised her head out its hiding place just enough to shake it no.

"Please let me in Jordan. I want to help you." With that, Jordan's arms unwound and wrapped around Brooke's neck. Brooke held her close and rocked their bodies together in unison.

Brooke couldn't take seeing her like this so she decided that she would remain with Jordan for the rest of the night. Brooke manipulated her body so she was laying in Jordan's small bed, the girl still being attached to her neck. It was the most uncomfortable position ever, but it at least seemed to calm Jordan even more.

After a few minutes of silence Brooke searched for the words to make things better. But they weren't appearing. Unbelievably Jordan spoke up.

"It wasn't a dream; it was real. I was with my...my old parents. My mom and my foster parents...they all died."

Her voice was shaky and Brooke was proud that Jordan confided in her.

"Oh honey. I'm so sorry you've had to go through all these bad things in your life, but they stop now. You're safe honey I promise. Now you need to get some sleep, sweet girl."

"Don't adopt me Brooke…please." The words shook Brooke to her core. She was very shocked to hear that. "What? Honey, what's going on?"

Jordan took a deep breath and buried her head further into Brooke's chest.

"I don't want you to die….Everyone who tries to adopt me dies."

Brooke's heart broke for Jordan. Even after reading her file, Brooke could only imagine the trauma Jordan had lived through. She was scared to even know.

"THAT…" Brooke started out a little louder than before but quickly subdued when she felt Jordan shudder, "That is not going to happen again, okay? I'm not going anywhere; Julian and Nolan aren't going anywhere. You're here to stay…at least if that's what you want..."

Brooke wished that Jordan would reply with a soft 'I want to', but she stayed silent. Even so, Brooke knew she got the message.

No more talking occurred and Brooke drew circles on Jordan's back with her fingers until Brooke was sure she was asleep again. Then she fixed the blankets on top of them and slowly felt her eyes droop closed. She was exhausted and very weary of what the future would hold for her family.

;;

This time when Brooke woke up, it was because of the sun in her eyes. She shifted in the small bed and realized that she was now alone. She got to a standing position and made her way out into the kitchen slowly. Sitting at the table was Julian, Nolan, and Jordan, all eating pancakes. Julian was the first to see her.

"Good morning sleepy. I made breakfast."

Brooke grabbed the plate that Julian had fixed for her and walked to the table. She greeted the three each with a kiss on the head and then sat down and started eating too.

"Did everyone sleep better after we got settled again last night?" Brooke asked.

She got a few head nods and 'yeah' answers back so she assumed everyone was okay.

Jordan looked happier than Brooke thought she would be, so Brooke was very pleased.

When they had finished eating, the phone rang. Julian told whoever it was to hold before waving to Brooke. She followed him into their bedroom before telling her anything.

"It's some social worker. She wants to talk to us about Tristan," Julian whispered.

He put the phone on speaker and they started a lengthy conversation with the woman.

"Mr. and Mrs. Baker, Tristan is doing very well this morning and I wanted to let you know that he can leave the hospital today. I again wanted to commend you, Brooke. You saved that boy's life."

"It is what anyone would have done."

"No. That's the problem, not everyone would have and it's very sad."

"What's going to happen to him?" Julian jumped in and said what Brooke really wanted to ask.

"Well that's why I called. Since you are now fostering Tristan's sister and you saved him, I think it is only fair to extend to you the option of taking him in too. I totally understand if adding another child to your family at this time is too much, but I know he would be in safe, capable hands."

"Wow," was the unanimous response from Brulian.

"What do you think, honey?" Brooke whispered to her husband. She was on board, but she wanted them to make the decision together.

Julian smiled. "Well, we definitely need another boy around here…"

A huge smile appeared on Brooke's face and that's all the confirmation Julian needed.

"When can we pick him up?" Julian asked the social worker.

"Oh good! This afternoon he will be released into your care. How about four o'clock?"

"We'll be there!"

;

"So girls…we have some news. We just spoke with the social worker at the hospital and she said that Tristan is going to be just fine."

"Oh yay! Good!...Can I see him? Nolan hasn't met him, so we have to go see him!" Jordan pleaded.

"Well we thought maybe we could go pick him up and bring him back here…" Brooke's voice was hopeful. She desperately hoped they would be okay with it, both girls.

Nolan was actually the first to respond while Jordan danced around in a circle.

"Really! That's so cool! Two siblings in one week?!" Brooke and Julian were happy to see Nolan so excited. The last thing they wanted was Nolan to think they were moving too fast and replacing her in any way.

"When are we leaving? Let's go get him now!"

Jordan tried to run past Julian to the front door.

"Whoa whoa slow down." He picked her up as she still tried to run through his legs. "We have some stops to make first."

Brooke continued. "How would you girls like to do some shopping for our new boy?"

"YES!" "Awesome!"

;;

Brooke and Julian had stuffed Julian's car with as many things possible. Brooke's trunk was also filled to the brim, but they were forced to stop shopping so they could fit all the kids in the car.

The four Bakers made their way through the hospital doors and Brooke recognized a familiar nurse. "Mrs. Baker, it's nice to see you. We are all ready to discharge him. And here he is now…"

Everyone turned to face the social worker carrying a happy young boy. Brooke noticed how much healthier he looked today and she was grateful. She didn't know much about caring for a little boy, never mind a sick one.

No words were spoken, only silent expressions of joy.

Brooke watched the scene unfold in front of her: Julian took the boy into his arms and bounded him up and down; he crouched down so Jordan could hug her baby brother. It was a beautiful scene.

Julian looked over at Nolan who was standing close to Brooke. "Come over here No…Tristan wants to meet you."

Brooke gave her a little nudge with her hands for encouragement and Nolan made her way over to them.

'I just hope everything turns out okay' Brooke thought. She was anxiously waiting for the other shoe to drop. This was too perfect.

The doctor brought Brooke out of her daze with new information. "I am prescribing this medication that I need you to give to Tristan every night. It's just to keep his anemia under control until he is fully recovered. You need to make him a doctor's appointment for next month so we can run some precautionary follow-up tests" She handed Brooke the pill bottle, had her sign release forms, and they were allowed to leave.

The new family of five walked out of the hospital and headed home.

**Please comment!  
~ Haley **


	13. Chapter 13

** This is an update cause haileyBoth asked nicely and i like that we have to same name lol  
(even if she doesnt spell it right, haha jk)  
It's of course for all my other loyal readers as well. **

**ENJOY!**

Chapter 13

The next few weeks proved trying for an inexperienced Brooke.

Jordan continued to have nightmares and the only thing that soothed her was having Brooke and Tristan sleep with her in her bed. Jordan had been making herself sick and was very weak at times. Even Nolan was also acting out more for attention which Brulian were really sympathetic with considering the recent changes in their lives.

But besides nights, the children were happy and getting along well. Haley even brought Jamie and their youngest children, almost seven-month-old twin sons Quentin and Brian (named for Q and Whitey), over to play.

But in the struggle to find a new routine, Brooke began to realize how little Jordan was eating. They would offer to make her anything she wanted, but she rarely ate more than a few bites. It was extremely hard to get her to eat anything at all, even candy or deserts. She said everything made her tummy hurt. At first Brooke thought it was because she was getting used to her new surroundings but it was starting to concern her. Jordan was a happy little girl, but her emotions took a drastic turn when she was upset or scared. One night Brooke and Julian decided they needed to talk to her about it.

"Honey, you would tell us if something was bothering you right?" Julian asked gently.

They waited for a response but all they got was a cowardly reply as Jordan tried to hide under the covers of her bed. Brooke rubbed circles on the sheets with her fingers.

"We have been noticing that you don't eat very much and when we ask you about it, you just say you're not hungry… This isn't good for you baby. You need food to grow big and strong."

"Food makes me feel sick Brooke…I'm sorry. I don't like to eat…it hurts."

This came from under the sheets and when Brooke pulled them back, Jordan was silently crying. Brooke couldn't control her own tears as they streamed down her face. Julian saw her emotions and steadied her by placing his hands on her back.

"Jordan…maybe we should bring you to a doctor then…since this is getting serious."

The child in front of him looked so small, so vulnerable. He almost expected her to refuse to visit a dreaded doctor, but she didn't. 'This must be very serious after all' he thought.

;;

Brooke couldn't help but remember the first time she was here: with Nolan. The doctor's office was the same, not even the nurses were different, but it had been over a year since then.

Julian held a sleeping Jordan in his lap. The car ride had lulled her to sleep and he carried her into the building carefully making sure he didn't wake her. It was good that she was sleeping without waking up in a panic.

Brulian had dropped Nolan off at school and Tristan off at Naley's for the afternoon so the could bring Jordan together. They held hands as they waited for Jordan to be called. They both had a bad feeling about this visit.

"Jordan Jared."

Julian nudged Jordan awake while picking her up and following the nurse. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and surveyed her surroundings. Jordan whimpered when the nurse took her temperature in her ear and she called out for Brooke.

"The doctor will be in shortly."

Jordan now buried her head in Brooke's neck. No one said a word until the doctor knocked on the door.

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Baker. And who is this?...you must be Jordan."

.

After the doctor examined Jordan and talked to Brulian about her refusal to eat, Dr. Mitchell ordered a blood test and allergy testing. Jordan was a trooper and soon enough they were back in exam room #2, where they had begun the visit.

"Due to Jordan's anemia, weight loss, and sickness after eating, I wanted to check to see if she had any autoimmune diseases or sever allergies. And I think that I have found the problem…"

Brooke and Julian held their breath. Was Jordan really sick?

"Jordan has what is known as Celiac Disease. It is an extreme gluten allergy that causes damage to many other tissues of the body. Certain foods make Jordan feel sicker rather than better, so it actually makes sense that she doesn't want to eat. It can be genetic and since Jordan is not your biological child, there is no way to have predicted this. As soon as she cuts out all gluten from her diet, she will start to feel better and live a normal, healthy life."

Brooke and Julian were so happy that Jordan's sickness could be reversed by just changing her diet. They were glad that it wasn't more serious than that.

The doctor gave them websites, names of books, and pamphlets on Celiac Disease and sent Jordan home with strict orders to eat more (only the foods that wouldn't make her sick of course).

;;

"Dordan!!" Tristan ran to greet his sister as she walked into the backyard at Nathan and Haley's house with Brulian close behind her. The parents watched as the sibling reunited and Tristan pulled Jordan over toward their baby cousins. Haley called out to Tristan as he pulled Jordan away.

"Tristan do you want a drink of water?"

"Dink peas!" He stopped and ran back to get his water and then rejoined Jordan who was sitting next to Brian and Quentin. He tried to give his water to Q but Jordan stopped him just in time.

"Tristan you can't do that. He's too little. He needs a bottle!"

"Bian 'n Du are da babies. I da boss."

"Tristan you're not the boss of the babies. That's not nice."

"You no boss!"

"Then who is the boss?" Jordan asked.

"Dada da boss. " Tristan pointed behind Jordan.

She turned her head to see Brooke and Julian laughing and talking to Haley. She turned back to her brother with a smile.

"Yeah. We have a mommy and daddy who are the bosses now huh? Haha."

Jordan really hoped that this was forever, but things hadn't turned out well for her with parents in the past. She wouldn't get her hopes up.

..

"What! Oh my God. We're on our way." Everyone turned to see Brooke drop her cell phone and spring into action.

"Julian we have to get to Nolan's school. Haley can you watch them?"

"Sure…is everything okay?"

"No. We have to go."

At the mention of Nolan's name, Julian jumped up. With no explanation at all Brulian ran to their car. Based on Brooke's reaction, this news about Nolan couldn't be good.

**Cliffhanger OoOoOo…  
Okay so anything that Tristan may say I am basing off what my almost three-year-old brother Carter can say himself or has actually said lol. He has a thick lisp haha.  
He can't say L's so every L comes out as a D. He calls me Haddy. It's so cute. I love him so much its ridiculous.  
And the info on Celiac Disease i learned from Elisabeth of _The View_ lol and my friend who has it. Lots of restaurants now have glutin free meals too.**

**Please Review Review Review!  
I always appreciate a message.  
~ Haley :]**


	14. Chapter 14

**this one's really short but ill update soon. **

Chapter 14

"Wait!!? Say that again!?" Julian was shocked and confused at the story that Brooke just told him. He spoke at one-hundred words a second so all he knew was that Nolan was hurt and it was serious. They pulled up to the school and were greeted with flashing lights and sirens from an ambulance. They saw a team of EMTs crowded around a stretcher with a small body strapped to it. Brooke and Julian ran over to it and saw an unconscious Nolan lying on it with bloody gauze on her forehead. Brooke broke down in tears and Julian was in shock. The EMTs loaded Nolan's stretcher in the ambulance and asked who would be accompanying them to the hospital. Julian grabbed Brooke's hand and pulled her along with him.

"We're her parents!"

They hopped in the car and the ambulance pulled away quickly. Julian found his place next to his daughter and grabbed her small free hand. He noticed the other was bound in a splint and looked immobile. His eyes traveled up her arm to her still chest and bloody head trauma. He had never been so scared in all of his life.

Brooke on the other hand, was too scared to look at her. She tried to focus on the healthy, vibrant girl who she had dropped off at school that morning. She couldn't remember the last words Nolan had said to her. She desperately searched for those words in an effort to distract herself. It was working for a second.

Brooke and Julian were swept up in the panic and were separated from Nolan as the EMTs rushed her out of the ambulance and behind closed doors. Large male nurses held Julian back while he struggled to get near his baby girl. He wept for her. He was taken into another room and sedated by doctors. He was laid back on a bed and he and Brooke cried together. It was all they could do.

About ten minutes later, a doctor joined a calmer Brooke and Julian to discuss Nolan's condition.

"What happened!? I don't understand how this happened! Please tell us," Julian pleaded.

"We were told that Nolan fell backwards off the top of a tall metal slide onto the cement at recess. She hit her head on the ladder and landed on her right side. We are certain even without X-ray that she has shattered her elbow and her humerus bone. She has also fractured a small section of her skull above her eye. Both of these injuries will require surgery but we have confidence that Nolan will heal completely within the next few months."

Julian and Brooke stared blankly at this doctor. They hated him for acting so casual about the situation…like their daughter wasn't half dead when the saw her last. But they couldn't say anything.

"We need your consent to get her to surgery right away."

He handed Julian a clipboard and he signed a quick messy signature. The doctor disappeared after saying that he would come back with an update within the next few hours.

.

Those hours proved to be a lifetime for the Bakers. Julian called Haley because Brooke couldn't speak at the moment. Haley said she would keep Jordan and Tristan for as long as they needed and that she would inform the rest of the family. Julian then called his sister and she joined them at the hospital soon after. The three waited in mostly silence as they waited for news of any kind.

"Family of Nolan Baker." Jocelyn, Brooke and Julian stood. "Please come with me."

**Very very very very short i know. But it was a good place to stop at.  
Poor Nolan, but i wanted to include her more in the story.  
It has been a huge focus on Jordan lately and i wanted to that Brooke and Julian are totally dedicated to their eldest daughter.  
I will update sooooon!**

**Click on the green button and leave a message.  
I KNOW YOU WANT TO! lol**

**~ Haley :]**


	15. Chapter 15

**Okay so i know people expressed concern that i dont write enough Tristan or that i added him in last minute but i did not do that or disclude him on purpose. I have a brother like Tristan so i forget that readers don't assume he's always there & taken care of. I already wrote more about Tristan before the comments in the coming chapters but next chapters will have more of all of the kids, not just one. I just wanted to follow a possible story plot that I havent read in any fanfiction (but it may exist somewhere who knows) and i kinda got swept into that for a while. Believe me, you'll get plenty of everyone in the coming chapters. **

**This one's longer than the last too. i know the last one was just a tease**

Chapter 15

Nolan awoke in a fog. She could only open one eye and couldn't move her tiny body. She was confused and scared.

"Dad…"

The tired adults in the room swooped into action and crowded around the injured child.

"Shhhh. I'm right here baby. You're going to be just fine."

"What…happened?" She talked slowly. Her chest hurt and so did her throat for some reason. She didn't know that for the last day and a half she had been on a respirator to assist her breathing.

"You had a bad fall at school. Don't you remember honey?" Brooke spoke softly and held Nolan's left hand gingerly. Her fingers caressed the IV gently.

Nolan started to cry. She was in a lot of pain. Machines beeped more aggressively than before and nurses ran into the room. Brooke and Nolan's hands were separated as the nurse administered morphine and a sedative to help Nolan sleep. She was out like a light seconds later.

..

Again Nolan felt the dull pain cascading over her entire body as she woke up again, a little more mobile this time. She didn't speak; she squirmed around the small hospital bed before realizing that it was safest to remain still. This time, only one person remained at her bedside: her dad.

"Shhhh. Stay still honey. You need to stop moving…"

Nolan drowned out what her dad was saying and just tried to survey the room around her. She noticed Brooke sleeping in a chair by the door.

"I don't remember," she interrupted Julian's pointless rant.

"What honey?"

"You said I got hurt at school. I don't remember how."

Julian took a deep breath. "You fell off the back of the slide at recess. You don't remember that?"

Nolan shook her head and realized too late that it was a bad idea. Her head fell back in the dizziness. She saw the room spin around her and closed her eyes to escape. Julian called out for help and woke Brooke up in the process. A nurse ran in and was able to find a bucket to throw under Nolan's mouth before it happened. Julian and Brooke stood there stunned as Nolan began throwing up bile and blood. The nurses were able to calm Nolan down, as she was now crying, long enough to give her anti-nausea medication through her IV. The tears continued to silently spill from the sick child and, now that the initial shock was gone, her parents came to her side. Brooke found herself a sliver of bed to lie down next to Nolan's good side and Julian manned his familiar seat on her right. They didn't talk about anything important; rather they kept the conversation relatively quiet and simple.

The doctor broke this awkward situation with a knock on the door. He made his way over to the machines and quickly made sense of all the numbers and beeps that Julian and Brooke had been questioning for the past two days.

"It's good to see you awake Nolan. We've been really worried about you around here."

Nolan tried to smile, but she wasn't really in the mood.

"Do you think you could help me by letting me do a quick exam of your stitches?"

"I guess so."

The doctor exposed Nolan's right arm from under the layers of white. Nolan was scared and Brooke and Julian were horrified at the big red scars and metal rods that held the bones in place. The doctor said it looked 'good', relatively speaking, and that she would need intense physical therapy to get full function back. Right now, Julian and Brooke were okay with that prognosis, as long as it didn't pain Nolan. And right now, she said it was completely numb and couldn't move it at all. The doctor dressed the arm back up in bandages, a splint, and a sling and continued with his exam by checking her head. That scar was smaller and a tiny bit less gruesome but it required staples instead of stitches, which kind of freaked Brulian out (Nolan didn't know yet).

"Okay. You will need to treat this like a severe concussion once you get home. No physical activities until you are cleared by me. And that will take a lot of convincing, believe me."

Nolan was disappointed, but she was smart enough to know that this was too serious to question. She was lucky she wasn't paralyzed or dead.

.

"I want you to tell me the last thing you remember before you woke up in the hospital."

"Umm… I was having breakfast."

"Okay. Do you remember what you were eating?"

"Waffles." Brooke and Julian nodded towards the doctor; that breakfast was standard.

"Do you remember what day it was?"

"Yep. It was Tuesday the fourth cause it was Logan's birthday and I wanted to get there early to give him his present!"

Nolan was smiling for the first time since she woke up. Unfortunately, no one else was.

"Nolan sweetie. Logan's birthday was a month ago. You must be confused. A lot has happened since then." The three adults were concerned. 'Had she lost a month of her life?' 'Did she even remember Jordan and Tristan?'

"But…that's the last thing I remember…Am I in trouble?"

The doctor spoke this time. "Of course not, my dear. Memory loss is common with the type of head injury you have. It's very normal to lose some time for awhile."

"So her memory will come back?" Brooke tried to hold onto some hope.

"It may or it may not, but in the long run Nolan is very lucky. Some people lose years of memory or even all memories. Nolan is lucky."

'Yeah but this month was a pretty drastic change considering we have two new family members!'

"I would like to bring Nolan down for a CT scan to see how her brain and skull are healing from the surgery. A nurse will be in soon to take her downstairs." The doctor left.

"So..," Nolan smiled, "What did I miss?"

**~Haley :]**


	16. Chapter 16

**Here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy!  
Send ideas and comments!**

Chapter 16

Brooke and Julian now faced the impossible task of explaining to Nolan that she missed the arrival of two new siblings into their home. Brooke prayed that Nolan would be as happy about it as she was when it really happened, but she wasn't…

"You replaced me?!"

"Oh honey no of course not. We talked about this a lot and we were waiting to here from the adoption agency. That has been happening for months…I'm so sorry honey." Julian's heart broke. He was not expecting this. Brooke continued.

"Please don't be upset. We love you so much and we don't want you to think anything has changed about how much we love you. That will always be true. You're our first honey. You always will be."

Silence fell over the room for a minute or two. No one knew what to say to make things better.

"Do I get to go home now?"

Brooke and Julian looked at each other. It just wasn't possible right now. The doctors told them that when she was unconscious. She would be here for awhile. She still needed another surgery on her arm.

Before a response was established, Julian's phone rang.

"Hi Haley. Yes, she's being really brave. Mmhmm. Oh yes, put her on….Hi sweetie. Yes, she's going to be just fine…Oh no. No, Nolan can't come home today. Maybe you can visit later on this week. Okay honey, yes…kiss T for me. Bye sweetie." He watched Nolan burn a hole in his head with her eyes.

"Was that…her?"

"That was Jordan. She is very worried about her big sister. Tristan is too, but he's too young to know where you are."

"Oh…"

"Are they okay?" Brooke was concerned that this time away would hurt the relationship they had began to form.

"Haley says they love playing with her babies and I could hear Tristan saying hi to his Mommy."

"Awww, good." She turned to Nolan. "What can I get for you baby? What do you need?"

"I want to meet them. Since they live in my house and are with my family. I wanna meet them…even though I guess I already have."

"Okay. But not today. You need your rest."

A nurse disrupted their conversation at that moment.

"I'm sorry. I'm here to take Nolan for her tests. She can have one person walk down with her."

Nolan's head turned to her daddy. "Can you get me my blanket from home while I'm gone? Mommy can take me."

"Anything you want baby. I'll see you later." He kissed her head and got his coat on. He watched Nolan's bed take flight and Brooke stood beside it, holding the small hand. When his girls were no longer in sight, he left for home.

;;

Nolan was taken into a room with the CT machine and was maneuvered onto the thin board that would slide her inside the long tube. Wires that were connected all over her arm and chest were temporarily removed or relocated before the scan started. She was very calm and brave until Brooke was ushered to leave the room.

"Nolan we need you to be very still honey or we can't get a good picture."

"Momma…"

"She's right outside and if you're really still you can see her in one minute."

Nolan shut her eyes and tried to imagine herself back at home in her room. She was safe and protected.

"Good honey. Very still." Nolan heard beeps and bangs but she kept her concentration on better things.

"Baby, you can open your eyes now." It was Brooke's voice now. "You're all done."

The table slid out of the machine and she grabbed for Brooke with her mobile arm.  
"You were so brave. I know that must have been scary."

"I want to go HOME!"

;;

Meanwhile Julian stopped at Haley's on the way back to the hospital.

Brooke texted him saying that he didn't need to hurry back since Nolan was sleeping, so he took the time to be with Jordan and Tristan. He knew they must be confused and he didn't want them to feel neglected.

"Dada go home..."

"No Tristan, buddy. We are going to sleep over at Aunt Haley's okay. You, Jordan and I are going to have our own room tonight."

"No sleep!" Julian laughed, Tristan was such an adorable boy who was also very determined to get his way. It reminded him so much of Brooke. He was glad that since they brought Tristan home, he had begun to come out of his shell. He was talking more and very comfortable living with them; Julian was so grateful for this. He knew that they had it easy with two go-with-the-flow foster children. But Julian couldn't bear the thought of losing them now. Julian considered them his children: blood, legal, or not.

Julian unpacked the bag of clothes he had grabbed for Jordan and Tristan and helped them change into pjs. Julian put on sweatpants himself and tried to get Tristan to settle down. Jordan was already exhausted from the day she had trying to keep up with Jamie, so she was out like a light in no time. Julian covered her with a blanket.

Tristan was a different story. He was restless and didn't want to sleep anywhere but his bed at home.

"Why no home?"

"No seepy Dada."

"No Momma."

"Wakey Jordan!"

"Nodan…"

Julian's heart dropped when Tristan asked about Brooke, Jordan, and Nolan. He was a smart baby and knew something was wrong. It wasn't his fault his new family was in crisis a lot and he didn't deserve any less attention.

To make Tristan relax, he did something he used to try with Nolan. He was desperate to get some sleep and he knew that Tristan needed it too.

Julian started singing Billy Joel's _Lullabye _while rubbing his back for comfort. It wasn't good singing by any means but it used to calm Nolan so he gave it a shot:

_Goodnight, my angel  
Time to close your eyes  
And save these questions for another day  
I think I know what you've been asking me  
I think you know what I've been trying to say  
I promised I would never leave you  
And you should always know  
Wherever you may go_

_No matter where you are  
I never will be far away......_

Julian looked down at this boy in his arms after verse two to see Tristan conked out against the pillow with one thumb in his mouth and the other hand on Julian's wrist.

Julian leaned down to kiss the boy on the side of the head before laying down beside him.

"I love you, son."

It took no time at all after that for Julian to fall asleep himself.

;;

;

The next day, Julian returned early to the hospital. Nolan tried to walk on her own for the first time since surgery today. The surgeon had sent up an occupational therapist to help Nolan begin recovery. No one was sure until this moment how the head injury had affected Nolan physically. Her legs were shaky and she felt slightly lightheaded at all times, but she successfully walked down the hallway with the aid of the therapist by her left side. Nolan still couldn't move her right arm and any unintentional motion or touch of it caused her great agony.

Julian insisted that Brooke go home to get some sleep this time and she told him that she would be back around this time.

"I'm so proud of you honey. You'll be good as new in no time."

"I don't know daddy."

"Well I believe in you."

Julian looked down when his phone vibrated: text message from Brooke

We're here!

'We?' he thought. Oh…. we.

"Mommy's on her way in now. And I think she brought you some people to see."

Nolan smiled tentatively. She was genuinely excited to 'meet' Jordan and Tristan, her mind had become fancy to the idea of new siblings, but at the same time, she felt awkward that they knew her and she was supposed to know them.

Brooke entered the room after a faint knock at the door.

"I brought you a surprise to make you feel better!"

Brooke was carrying a small shy boy and a little girl held onto her pant leg.

"This is Tristan and Jordan."

Tristan lifted his head from Brooke's shoulder. "Nodan!"

"Hi Tristan...Hi Jordan." With the acknowledgement, Jordan approached the hospital bed.

"Do you remember me?" Brooke had tried to explain the situation to Jordan on the way over here, but it was really hard for Jordan to fathom the idea of memory loss.

"No. But I think if you tell me the things we've done together, maybe I will soon."

.

Julian helped Jordan up onto the bed and warned her not to touch Nolan's arm. They had a real bonding afternoon and Jordan was sad to go.

"Nolan needs her sleep Jordy, and so do you."

The couple decided that was Brooke's turn to sleep at home with the other kids. But before they left, Julian brought Jordan and Tristan to the gift shop because they were being so good. In the mean time, Brooke took her station as Nolan's guard.

"I like them Momma. I'm glad they came, but I really wanna go home with them."

"I know you do. But you have to have another surgery tomorrow and then you will be home before you know it. You'll wish you had the peace and quiet you have here."

They both laughed and settled down watching old reruns of _The Nanny_ on the small TV attached to the wall while they waited for Julian, J&T to return. Brooke turned and watched Nolan's chest rise and fall like she had many times since she met the girl over two years ago. Nolan was on the road to recovery, and that was all that she needed to hear.

**Feedback please!  
****~ Haley **


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Unbelievably, two weeks after her second surgery, Nolan came home. She was on strict bed rest, only allowed to take short walks with a parent, or having sessions with her physical therapist. Absolutely no running or rough housing was allowed, much to Brooke's relief. Nolan was now in a full-length arm cast with a sling. It was still very tender but it was mostly protected by the insulated, pink cast. Julian and Brooke decided to keep Nolan at home with a private tutor until the start of the next year. She only had a few weeks before summer started and Nolan was already three weeks behind at least.

.

"But I want to go swimming Mommy!"

Brooke was busy trying to get Tristan to eat. He was a champ at getting more food down his little shirt and pants than in his mouth.

"I know Jordan, but I don't think it would be fair to Nolan. She can't get her cast wet."

"Oh…" Jordan was upset, but she was old enough to understand.

"Just let them swim, Mom. I'll just watch a movie."

"Swim! swim!" Tristan belted at the top of his lungs. 'Great', Brooke thought...

"No that's okay. _Someone_ can live without the pool for awhile. Let's find something we can all do together."

"What's that? I can't do a lot."

"Let's get out of this house. We can….go to the park. Tristan and Jordan can play on the playground, and we can all get some fresh air."

"Okay!" It was unanimous. Nolan was so happy to do something besides sit around and sleep.

.

"So what's on your mind kiddo?"

Nolan and Brooke watched from a bench as little children ran around playing. Tristan played in the sand by Brooke's feet while Jordan ran around meeting new friends.

"I miss Daddy."

"Yeah. Me too. But he'll be flying home tomorrow to see us. He is anxious to get home to check on you. He didn't want to go in the first place, but Grandpa Paul made him."

Julian was in LA for a meeting with the network. He had planned not to go but Paul insisted that he was 'neglecting his duties'... Julian didn't care. He didn't want to be an absentee parent, leaving Brooke alone, but Brooke assured him that a few days wouldnt make him one. So Paul got his way just this once.

"Brooke."

"Yes honey?" Brooke was taken aback by Nolan calling her 'Brooke' instead of 'Mom'.

Nolan waited a second while Brooke helped Tristan climb up on the bench with them. Brooke dusted the sand off his tiny legs and looked back at Nolan.

Nolan was looking up at the clouds. It was a beautiful day.

"Do you think my mother loved me? You know, Melanie…"

"Well…I never met her, but I know she did...She does. You're her baby." Brooke transfered Tristan to her knee, scooched over on the bench and put her arm around Nolan. Brooke hugged her gently.

"Who couldn't love you?"

"I just wish that I could remember her. I wonder if I'm like her."

"Your daddy says you are."

"Really?"

"Yep. He says that you have the same smile and laugh."

"But I think I get more from you than my mom."

"From me?"

"Mmhmm. I know I don't have your DNA, but I think I get stuff from you. Sometimes I pretend that you did have me."

"Can I tell you a secret?" Nolan nodded. "I do too." Both girls smiled.

.

"Mommy! Watch me!"

Jordan was swinging on the end swing when she gave Brooke a heart attack by jumping off. She landed on her feet but immediately fell to her knees in the sand. She bounded back up and ran towards Nolan and Brooke. Tristan stood up.

"Potty nows peas."

"Oh Tristan buddy, really? Now?"

"Oops." It was too late now. Brooke watched a dark wet spot appear on the front of his adorable outfit.

"Oh Tristan! I knew big boy underwear was a bad idea today…Come on girls."

She scooped him up and they ran over to her car: a silver BMW X5. The girls followed her. She opened the hatch trunk and stripped him down naked so fast. She grabbed the extra pair of Pull-ups she carried and fought with Tristan to get them on.

"Nooooooo! No no no Mommy!"

"Sorry buddy, but we can't take any chances right now."

She dressed him in a new outfit that she kept in the back of her car for emergencies like this. Tristan cried more while she buckled him into his car seat.

"I'm sorry girls, but we can't go out to lunch like I promised if he's like this."

"Shhhh Tristan. Don't you wanna go to eat! I'm hungry and I wanna go to Friendly's but you're ruining it!"

"Jordan. That's not making anything better. Just everyone calm down!" Brooke yelled at the kids. She was just tired and missing Julian and took things out on them. Tristan was having a bad day, but he deserved one too, just like she did. Nolan was somehow able to quiet Tristan down some and since a car ride always calmed him anyways, Brooke decided that she would risk going to an actual restaurant for lunch. 'Here goes nothing…'

;;;

;

She had just wrestled Tristan into a pair of nighttime Pull-ups before putting him into his bed for the night. The girls fell asleep watching _The Lion King_ in Nolan's bed and Brooke was too tired to move Jordan to her own bed. She collapsed on the couch exhausted when she heard a knock on the door. 'This better not wake anyone up' she prayed.

"Did somebody order a loving husband?" That grin got her everytime.

"Julian, what are you doing here? I thought your flight home was until tomorrow!"

"Well I thought it was time to relieve my wife from kid duty."

He kissed her and they moved toward the couch. In the middle of the 'most action Julian got all month', they were interrupted by a small whistle from a toy. They looked over to see Tristan sitting outside his bedroom door, playing with his train like nothing was out of the ordinary, like he hadn't just been put to bed.

"Hey, you…Houdini. What do you think you're doing?"

Brooke stood over him now with her hands on her hips. And Tristan looked up at her with the cutest like 'what?' face.

Julian stepped in. "Time for bed mister."

"Dada!"

"Yes I will still be here in the morning, don't worry."

Julian tucked Tristan under his covers again. Julian stayed with Tristan and rubbed his back for a bit until he was groggy and half asleep. He closed the door behind him and found Brooke in the girls' room. They had made the old spare bedroom Tristan's room and would have moved Julian's office desk out of another room for Jordan, but the girls wanted to stay together. He transferred Jordan to her own bed while Brooke adjusted the pillows under Nolan. Julian grabbed Brooke's hand and led her to their room get some sleep.

"Hey." Julian remembered as they lay next to each other, hand-in-hand.

"I met someone today at my meeting…" Brooke turned to him curiously.

"We were talking about how we adopted the kids and got to talking…I guess his wife has the same condition that you have and they had trouble getting pregnant too. Apparently they found this new treatment option and with IVF, they have two sons now. Can you believe it?…they had two pregnancies that were successful. Maybe we could get a miracle if we wanted to try…"

Brooke didn't know how to react.

"I don't know Jay. Do we really want that? …All the shots and procedures and doctors' appointments…I'm pretty drained with the kids we have now…"

"I know, I know. I just wanted to let you know…that if you ever want another baby…and you maybe wanted to try another pregnancy…that I am here for you and I will support you _no matter what _you want to do. I just want...I want to make you happy."

"Oh I am very happy. You and the kids make me so happy Julian…but I would be even _happier_ if maybe we finished what we started before…"

"I think I can do something about that."

Julian strattled over Brooke and she laughed. Their lips met and the rest was well-deserved satisfaction.

.

**There you go readers :] More Brulian, more everyone together! YAY! It was a fun chapter to write personally.  
What do you think about them trying for a pregnancy??**

**~Haley**


	18. Chapter 18

**Sorry the update wasn't soomer like some asked for, but im sooo busy these days.  
I'm in my play/musical at school so this week is tech week and its CRAZY so bear with me.  
AND next friday i turn EIGHTEEN! i'm so excited! but that really doesnt help me get updates out for you either.  
please dont be mad; ill get them out as soon as i possibly can!**

**Keep the feedback coming!**

Chapter 18

Julian had mastered the art of multitasking long ago...well sort of.

Back when it was just him and Nolan, he learned to do three things at once. Now that he was married with three small, rambunctious kids running around, he was able to improve this skill even more. He had realized over the last four months that he was glad Nolan wasn't a boy. Tristan was a typical boy. And boys were harder, louder, messier, and matured slower. He was thankful he had a partner in Brooke to take over when things got difficult. Brooke was so good with the kids. She was so gentle, yet firm with them. She had grace and poise that he only wished he could come close to. She was a natural mother despite her difficulty with conceiving.

Right now, Julian was cooking a family dinner of chicken, gluten-free rice, corn, and salad. It was a meal that all the kids would eat, and it was a rare treat to sit down and not hear someone complain about eating it. Brooke had had a stressful day working on her new line with Victoria, and he knew she would want some peace when she got home.

"DAD!!! Tristan is eating my makeup!"

"Don't yell at him, he's just little!"

Julian knew the first voice was Nolan, since Jordan didn't call him Dad. Tristan did, but he assumed it was because he was too young to understand their situation. He was sometimes upset that Jordan called Brooke 'Mom', but never said 'Dad' to him. But he knew she had a hard time in foster care before and so he tried not to take it personally.

He closed the fridge and ran to the kids.  
"What's going on in here?…and why did I hear you say you have makeup?"

He entered the girls' room to find Tristan munching on what appeared to be lip balm. He snatched the tube from his mouth and fished his finger into Tristan's mouth to get the cherry-flavored concoction out before he swallowed. He hoped to God that lip balm wasn't toxic…It couldn't be toxic if it went on your lips, right?

"This isn't food buddy..."

"Candy!" Tristan cried. He has quite the sweet tooth.

Julian picked Tristan up and bounced him around trying to distract him. He twirled him around like an airplane to make him giggle and then put him down.

"It's not real makeup Dad. But I think you should let Mommy get me some. Other girls wear it."

"Well you're not other girls. You are a natural beauty. You don't need it."

He wasn't just saying that. He really meant it. Nolan was a stunningly beautiful girl and he could only imagine how many boys he would have to fight off in the ever-nearing future.

Nolan sighed and gave up the fight. She was getting used to that response. Just then the front door shut.

"Don't I get a greeting from my family when I come home?!"

Tristan, Jordan and Nolan ran out of the room and greeted Brooke with big hugs in the kitchen and then the girls ran off their separate ways to play.

Brooke picked up the little boy and made him laugh by doing rasberry kisses on his tummy. She walked toward the kitchen area.

"Something smells good. Mmmm."

Julian approached his wife and kissed her.

"How was work?"

"Uhhh. Crazy. Witch-toria-with-a-B..." Brooke made a head nod towards Tristan meaning that she was refraining from swearing, even though it was legitimately called for at this time, "was driving me INSANE. And then when I tried to leave a _little _early to get home, she dragged me by the arm into another meeting that I didn't even have to be at! i think she gave me a bruise..." Brooke joked and pouted childishly.

"I'm sorry Brooke."

"Yeah. Me too. How was your day, Daddy-Daycare?"

"We did alright, didn't we T-boy. Although you just missed him try to eat Nolan's cherry lip balm."

"OoOo unlucky me....Aren't you a silly boy." Brooke tapped his nose with her finger and placed him down as he scampered away.

"Oh... well dinner's pretty much ready, so you shouldn't have put him down; you'll never get him now. I'll get drinks while you get the kids."

"Sure thing babe."

After some chasing, Brooke scooped up Tristan and got him to sit in his seat while the girls washed their hands. They were all eating when Julian spoke up.

"So I got a call today…from Marianne…"

The kids didn't really know what that meant, but Brooke surely did. Her head whipped around from cutting Nolan's chicken to look at her husband. (Nolan's hurt arm was still very weak to do some everyday tasks, but it was getting there.)

"It's official."

"AHH! Really!" Brooke exclaimed in joy as she jumped out of her seat. Julian nodded vigorously.

"What's wrong Mommy?"

Brooke turned to the girls who were sitting side by side.

"Nothings wrong darling. It's just that we have great news. You are now legally sisters!"

Julian grabbed Brooke's hand and spoke as well. "You're adopted Jordan, you and Tristan. You're not going anywhere honey, I promise."

Brooke and Julian had sat down with Jordan last month to talk about their intention of adopting her and Tristan. She was happy, but never really allowed herself to get her hopes up. They had been dashed some times before. But now it was really happening. This realization caused a big smile to wash across her face. Brooke had leaned over during this time and was rubbing Jordan's hair. She hoped this made Jordan happy, but she wasn't quite sure from this reaction.

"This is what you want, right Jord. Because…we wanted this so much. We love you, and we love Tristan."

"I'm so happy Mommy." Jordan finally reacted by jumped up out of her chair and into Brooke's awaiting arms.

"How do you feel about having these two around for good, Nolan?" Julian joked.

"Well they are already my siblings…so I was assuming it would be official sooner or later." Nolan stated this like it was obvious that it was going to happen. Julian smiled.

Jordan separated from Brooke and walked around the table to Julian.

"I guess you really are my Dad now…I can call you that now right?"

"Of course, Little J." Julian smiled with his famous grin. "I thought you'd never ask."

He carefully extended his arms in order to hug her. He expected a reluctantly tense hug like the others he had experienced with her, but no such hug occurred. Jordan grabbed around Julian's neck just like Nolan always did. It felt so much more natural than ever before. He had another daughter, plain and simple.

The meal continued and then their nighttime routine started up once again. Baths and showers for the kids happened, all three kids would change into their pajamas, Nolan would do finish her homework (thank goodness she was left handed like Julian's siblings so her arm didn't slow her down too much), and they would settle down to watch something on the couch. Tonight Julian helped Nolan with her math and changed Tristan's clothes.

"UHHGG! Why did summer go by so fast! I hate school; fourth grade is so much harder!"

"I know Nolan, but you're just getting back into the swing of things…you had a longer summer than most kids."

"Yeah only because I was in the hospital. And I still can't be normal like everyone else."

Nolan looked down at her right arm. Under the brace that she would have to continue to wear for months to come, were big scars from surgery. She would always have the reminder of that day with her, even though she couldn't remember it.

"You're doing great in physical therapy, honey. But you're lucky to use your arm at all, okay. Just relax. You're doing great."

Nolan signed. She just wanted her arm to be normal.

During this time, Brooke helped Jordan since it was her turn to shower tonight. Julian told her that Jordan would be fine in the shower alone, but she was hesitant to leave Jordan totally by herself. Brooke insisted on popping in the bathroom several times to make sure all the shampoo was rinsed and the water wasn't too hot. Brooke then braided the girls' hair while they all settled down to watch _Ice Age_.

While the kids began to fall asleep, Brooke noticed Jordan's hand grab Julian's. She was so happy that they were bonding more and more each day. She knew they would soon be as close and Julian and Nolan. Nolan's head rested on Brooke's shoulder now and Tristan's eyes drooped closed as he lay in her lap. This was rare that Tristan be so easy to get to bed, but he had worn himself out today with his Daddy. When the move was over, Nolan was the only child still awake.

"Okay time for bed, babies." Brooke said.

Nolan's voice stopped Brooke's movement.

"I can take him, Mom."

Brooke nodded, kissed Tristan's small head, and watched as Nolan picked him up in her arms and carried him out of the living room. Tristan rested on her left arm, while her 'bad arm' rubbed circles on his back like he liked. Julian scooped up Jordan and also began the move to their bedroom. Brooke followed and stood at the door as Nolan placed Tristan in his bed and covered him up. She placed his favorite stuffed animals near his hands and kissed him on the cheek. Brooke didn't mean to pry, but she almost cried when she heard the next words.

"Goodnight baby brother. I'm glad you're ours now."

Brooke and Nolan shut off the lights, closed his door and made their way across the hall.

Julian and Brooke helped both girls get snug under the covers and kissed them goodnight before retreating to their own master bedroom for much needed sleep.

They were finally a family in the eyes of the law. But certainly they were family long before that.

;

**Hope i'm not getting to repeat-y, but i thought it was a sweet way to end the adoption chapter: sort of like nothing changed cause they were already family regardless. **  
**Please leave your thoughts!**

**~ Haley :]**


	19. Chapter 19

**My play opening night was tonight and i was so happy it went well that i decided to give you guys a present.**  
**Because i wasnt planning on updating till monday at least lol**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 19

"I big boy. I do it!" Tristan exclaimed.

"Okay, okay." Brooke backed off and let Tristan buckle his car seat alone.

They had just finished grocery shopping where Tristan insisted he walk instead of ride in the carriage. This gave Brooke mini heart attacks as he wondered off a few times, but she wanted to give him a little freedom. She was realizing that he wasn't a baby. And it wasn't his fault that she had never cared for a child when they were a baby. It just happened that her three kids were older when she met them. Tristan was the youngest, but he was becoming more independent each day. His speech was improving and he hadn't had any more accidents in his big-boy underpants for a few months now, which was fast for most boys. Brooke was actually kind of sad that he needed her less. He sure wasn't a huge momma's boy.

Little did she know but he had also mastered escaping from his car seat as well when he was with Julian. When she parked the car at their house, Tristan surprised her by jumping out of the car all by himself. She grabbed some grocery bags quickly and they entered the house together. He started to 'help' her unpack the bags and out the food away, but must have gotten distracted by his favorite fire truck on the kitchen table. Brooke worked on some sketches for COB while he played and soon Nolan, Julian, and Jordan came home.

"Mommy, Mommy! I had so much fun today! I want to be a director when I'm bigger."

"Did you have fun on the set with your dad?"

"It was so cool!"

Nolan scoffed and shrank down on the couch.

"I hate that I missed going because of school. Why is her school only three days a week?"

"Because it's kindergarten and because you only went to a three day kindergarten too. It's only fair Bug…"

"I know Dad, but I miss going to set with you…Can I go next time? Please!"

"I don't think your teachers would appreciate that…"

"I wanna go!" Tristan put in his opinion.

"Sorry Buddy, you're just too little to sit still there. It's not even that fun…" Julian shot a look to the girls. He didn't want to upset Tristan.

"Yeah….uhh…it's not that great…" "I like school better.."

Tristan seemed to take that at face value and continued to play with his trains.

"Thanks girls."

;;

That night Brooke and Julian were lying in each other's arms after the kids were asleep.

"What was it like to have Nolan as a baby…"

"Why do you ask that, B?"

"Cause…I just…I never got to have the kids as babies. I just feel like I've missed so much…"

"Brooke. They love you. They are still young and they still need you. Believe me…being sixteen and having a teething baby is not fun."

"Yeah. I guess not…but still."

"Well honey, are you saying you want to try having a baby?"

"I think I am…But I don't want the kids to think they're not good enough. That's not it at all. I mean, we can provide for another child, we have plenty of money to, and maybe we could even the score with another baby brother…"

"Whatever you want to do, I will always support you."

"Maybe I could go to a fertility specialist…there's no hurt in a second opinion, right?"

"Right."

"But I won't get my hopes up…just in case."

Julian smiled sadly. He knew her hopes were already way up…

;;;

Brooke made an appointment with a fertility specialist the next day. Julian insisted that he wanted to go, so they got Jocelyn to babysit. The kids were so happy to spend time with their cousin Brianna that they didn't even ask where they were going. At the doctor's, they met with Dr. Rachel Avery, OBGN who specifically worked with couples with infertility. After going over Brooke's medical history and giving her an exam, Dr. Avery was hopeful that she could help Brooke and Julian have a baby with BOTH their DNA. She had been able to help couples in similar situations before and this wouldn't be much different. They sat down and talked about the risks: Brooke's health, strain on their family and marriage, multiple births, the fact that this may not _ever _work, and cost. Brulian accepted that this would be hard, but they thought it was worth the risk in the end result. Dr. Avery started Brooke on medications and hormone injections and they scheduled many appointments for the coming month.

Brooke and Julian jumped on the wagon and quickly things became very......scheduled. Sex became like clock-work. Brooke had doctor's appointments so often that she was on first name basis with the staff at the hospital. Julian also felt the pressure to perform at a sperm bank when they tried IVF. In-vetro scared Julian, because it meant a sort-of surgery for Brooke, but he swallowed his fears and supported her. They implanted four embryos hoping one would implant, but so far, negative pregnancy tests were all that Brooke and Julian could get.

;;

Brooke decided to stifle her disappointment in order to celebrate the kids she _did _have. It was painful, but she wanted to make this specific day special for Jordan.

"…Happy Birthday, Dear Jordan!! Happy Birthday to You!"

Julian placed the giant purple princess cake down in front of his daughter while everyone sang and Brooke took pictures as she blew out the candles. Brulian went all-out for her sixth birthday because Jordan told them that she never had a birthday party before. They invited all her new friends from kindergarden and even some friends from the adoption center. They had a big pool party bash since it was still warm at the end of September.

Brooke put all of her energy into making this day special for Jordan instead of thinking about their lack-of-pregnancy. They were told that 'it still could happen', but Dr. Avery was just holding onto any stray hope, Brooke thought. She was happy with the family she had, and didn't want to waste time.

Everyone had come out to celebrate Jordan's birthday per Brooke's strong request. Nathan and Haley brought their three kids; Mouth and Rachel (yes i say Rachel changed, Mouth dumps cocaine Millie and they get back together like before Honey Grove) arrived with their two-year-old redhead daughter Rory Morgan McFadden, Jocelyn and Mark brought baby Brianna; Quinn and Clay came; Victoria made an appearance; even Julian's brother Jason made a rare appearance with his new fiancé Sidney Porter. But unfortunately Paul Norris and Julian's mother never made it.

;;

While everyone finished eating cake and watched Jordan open her presents, Julian noticed Brooke becoming very pale. She hadn't been feeling well this morning, but she pushed her queasiness aside as usual. Brooke would let nothing ruin this day. When the kids went outside to swim and play with all the adults, Julian stayed back to check on his wife. He found her sitting down in the kitchen with a three-month-pregnant, just-barely-starting-to-show Haley. She had told Brooke a few weeks ago, and was so apologetic about it since she knew how upset Brooke was about her whole situation. Brooke told Haley not to worry about her, that she would be the best aunt this baby _girl _had ever seen. Brooke said Haley desperately _needed _a girl.

"Hey…is everything okay?"

Brooke just leaned against the counter with her head in her hands. Haley answered instead.

"No she's not. She needs to slow down or she's going to get sick."

"I'm fine…besides you're the pregnant one Hales. It's just a headache. I just need to make sure Jordan has a great birthday."

Julian pointed out the kitchen window. "She is, Brooke. Look how happy she is with all her family and friends here. She's fine. You need to take care of _you_ sometimes."

Julian placed a hand on his wife's back before she suddenly ran past him and towards the bathroom. She pushed past Jocelyn just as she was exiting and made it just in time before she threw up. Jocelyn turned and grabbed Brooke's hair as she heaved once again. Julian and Haley ran in after Brooke. Haley wet a face cloth in the sink. When they had established that Brooke was 'done', they helped her down the hall and onto her bed. Jocelyn stayed behind to clean the bathroom and when she opened the cabinet she smiled. When she rejoined the group she saw Haley place the cloth on the back of Brooke's neck while Julian handed her some Tylenol and water.

"I think I see the problem…" Jocelyn stated.

Brooke's helpers went silent which caused her to look up. Standing by the door with a huge smile on her face was Jocelyn. And in her outstretched hands, she held a box holding a pregnancy test. Haley and Julian looked at each other and then at Brooke.

"There's no way you guys…Dr. Avery said the IVF usually has worked by now and that there's a slim chance at getting a baby now."

Haley interjected. "Brooke…you're not _most people_, okay. You and Julian have done things your own way for quite some time now. I think it could happen. You're positively glowing…"

Brooke reentered the bathroom to take the test. She was upset that they would make her do this, but she did it to get Jocelyn and Haley off her back. The next two minutes Brooke watched out the window. Nathan, Jamie, Nolan, and Jordan were swimming in their in-ground pool while Mark, Rachel, Mouth, Rory, Tristan, Brian, Q, and Brianna played near the swing set. She wouldn't have traded her life for anything. She had amazing kids, and outstanding husband, and an incredible extended family she could always count on. She decided she wouldn't be upset if she wasn't pregnant. Maybe it just wasn't _meant to be_.

"Another wasted test I'm sure…well…here goes nothing…"

**WHAT WILL THE TEST SAY? IS SHE PREGNANT?  
Tell me what you think/predict!**

**~ Haley**


	20. Chapter 20

**HERE'S THE NEXT INSTALLMENT! GIVE ME YOUR OPINION!**

Chapter 20

Brooke immerged from the master bathroom with no expression at all. The three in the room stood in silence as they tried to read Brooke's face.

"Brooke…" Julian was very hopeful, but he tried to hide that in his voice.

"I don't want you to be upset….but I think you might have to work more now…since Baker number 4 is now on his way…"

Brooke looked into Julian's eyes and smiled more brightly than he'd ever seen before. Julian ran to Brooke and picked her up. He twirled her in circles as he hugged her tightly. Jocelyn and Haley shared in their happiness and hugged each other. They were happier for Brulian than they had been with their own babies because they had had such trouble.

"OH MY GOSH BABY! YOU'RE PREGNANT! I'm so happy! You did it Brooke!"

"We did it…You were definitely a trooper, helping me through all this."

"All that matters now is that we keep this baby safe…"

"Believe me…I will."

;;

;

The next day Brooke made an appointment with Dr. Avery and she was in the office within a few days. Dr. Avery had confirmed that Brooke was indeed pregnant. She ran some tests and was about to break the news to Brulian.

"Okay guys…let's see here." Brooke was having her first sonogram since her miscarriage. She remembered the cool gel on her stomach and tried to suppress the bad memories.

"You're test results included an extremely high presence of pregnancy hormones so let's check things out here, okay."

Julian was concerned. "Is something wrong?"

Dr. Avery was silent for a moment. She looked at the screen, moved the wand over Brooke's stomach carefully, and then smiled up at Julian.

"No nothing is wrong at all…in fact…I see a few very healthy embryos in there."

Dr. Avery pointed to the screen where there were three separate masses that could be clearly seen.

"Embryo**S**? Plural?"

"Multiples?!"

Brooke and Julian were shocked.

"Congratulations guys. This is what all your hard work had been for. You're carrying three healthy babies, Brooke…"

Brooke's mouth hung open as Julian kissed the side of her head. They never expected to get one baby, never mind three.

"I'll give you two a minute." Dr. Avery stepped out of the room as Brooke began to cry happy tears.

.

"Oh my God…Julian. Is this real?"

"It is honey. Our family is going to double in size…haha!"

Julian grabbed Brooke two hands and then bent down and kissed her exposed stomach.

"Hi babies. You don't even know how long your Mommy worked to get you…but here you are."

Brooke was happy and overwhelmed and scared all at the same time. Words couldn't describe her emotions.

"You're happy, right Brooke? This is what we wanted…We can do this."

"Yes of course…." Her voice went soft and she stared at her stomach. "We can do this." :]

;

Dr. Avery came back in and gave Brulian copies of the sonogram to show everyone. She gave Brooke a prescription for pre-natal vitamins and supplements to keep the babies thriving. Dr. Avery explained that due to Brooke's trouble with past miscarriages and the fact that there were multiples, that Brooke was a high risk patient. Brooke would be monitored more often and had to obey specific diet and rest instructions. She gave out her emergency cell contact information so that Brooke could call her at any time. This put Julian's mind at ease that Brooke and his babies were in capable hands.

The next task was telling the kids. That night Brooke and Julian sat down with them to talk about everything.

They all gathered around to look at the sonogram picture.

"That's a baby?" Jordan was so confused.

"Well sweetie, that's three babies. They're very very small but they will grow up to be regular size babies, just like you used to be."

"Triplets?!" Nolan was excited. "There are triplets in my class. That's so cool!"

"Great, honey. We are so glad you guys are happy. And we're going to need all your help to get ready and to be great older siblings."

"Baby…" Tristan had found his way over to his Mommy and hugged her around the stomach.

"Yes Tristan…the babies in here are going to call you their big brother! Do you like that?"

"Yeah..!"

"I hope there aren't three boys though, cause then the girls wouldn't have the majority anymore."

Brooke laughed. "We'll see Nole, but I still think the girls could rule the house no matter what!"

"When do we get to meet them Mommy?" Jordan smiled and placed her hand on Brooke's still-flat stomach.

"Well they are very very little so they need to grow big and strong in my tummy for awhile. They should be here when school gets out for summer."

"Cool! Then we can play with them all the time!"

Julian and Brooke let Jordan be happy even though they knew they babies would bring more work than play for everyone at first.

"So…are you guys really happy about this?"

"Of course we are Daddy. We've never had a baby around before…"

Julian and Brooke smiled at one another. That was exactly the way they felt too.

**Okay everyone, there you go! I need your opinion on names for Brulian's babies. The boring pregnancy months can get monotonous in a story so I'm going to have that time go quickly. Plus the babies are what everyone wants to read about anyways lol.. I have some names that I really want to include but I will let you have a say. Your votes will help me decide the sex of the babies as well. So make sure you include your favorites in a message! The next highest girls name will go to Naley's baby so get voting! **

**For Girls:  
Evalyn Grace (Eva for short),  
Ava Jocelyn (Nolan's middle name, Julian's sister), (i dont think i would want both ava and eva so please pick either/or)  
Kenadie Shiloh (Kenny/Ken for short),  
Elise Karen (Eli for short),  
Sienna Haley, Emmalyn Hannah, Avery Regan, Rylan Sidney. **

**For Boys:  
Grady James (for Nolan's mom Melanie, Haley & Jamie),  
****Bentley Ryan (cause I love Maci from Teen Mom lol & the middle name I made up for Julian, maybe Ben for short),  
Austin Jason (for real-life Julian, Julian's brother),  
Grayson Jared, Colby, Isaiah Nathan, Mason Jarrett, Jeremy Davis. **

**Let me know your favorites ASAP. **

**~ Haley :]**


	21. Chapter 21

**I got great messages with people expressing their votes for baby names and i actually got a wide variety of responses with most all of the names i picked being mentioned. **  
**Please let me know your 3 top names again if you wish. But only your absolute favorites please :]**  
**I will try to make everyone happy with the names but i know it wont happen. I'll go with the top vote getters.**

**Still have some chapters before the babies arrive lol **

Chapter 21

**February 2013**

"Mommy…Mommy……Mommy…?"

Brooke was sleeping on her side when she felt a tugging on her arm. She opened her eyes to find Jordan standing at the side of the bed.

It was light out, yet Brooke was still extremely tired. Nothing in particular caused this, but since she found out she was pregnant, she had become a night owl and not a morning person.

"Are you coming to my school today for the Valentine's Day party?"

Just then, Julian popped his head into the room.

"Hey L.J …what do you think you're doing, crazy? I told you not to wake your Mom. She needs extra sleep for the babies…"

"Sorry…"

Brooke smiled at Julian's nickname for his **L**ittle **J**ordan.

"It's okay baby. I wouldn't miss your Valentine's party."

Jordan was happy with that answer and bounded out the bedroom door to the breakfast table.

"I'm sorry Brooke…"

"No honey, it's okay. I needed to get up early today anyways: busy day…Help…"

Julian grabbed Brooke's arm and placed his hand around her back to help her to a sitting, then standing position. She was 20 weeks along now, but she looked like she should be about ready to give birth to a singleton baby. She was having a harder time moving around every week and she would only get bigger. But now that Julian and Victoria had convinced her to stop working all the time, she was distracting herself with decorating. They did a little demolition to the upstairs and knocked down the wall between Julian's old office and the playroom. They converted it into a giant nursery and Brooke had been spending a lot her time arranging all the stuff they got so far but the room was still far from done. It was yet to be painted even.

"Thanks…I have to pee and then I'm going to shower. I'll see you at my appointment?"

"Yeah, of course. One o'clock right?"

"Yes. I'll drop Tristan off with Haley, go to Jordan's school, go over to my doctor's appointment, and swing back to pick the girls up from school."

"Please take it easy…we need Mo, Larry, & Curly to stay inside…"

"I will babe…." Julian gave her the eye; he didn't believe her. "Oh okay…well…I'll try."

Julian kissed his wife. "I love you."

Then be bent down like he did every single day. "I love you…" Kiss. "I love you…" kiss. "I love you…" Kiss. He kissed her stomach three times where he thought the babies were. He couldn't wait to meet them.

;

Brooke made her way into the kindergarten classroom. She stopped at the door and admired the elaborate Valentine boxes with cards spilling out of the top. She recognized Jordan's because she watched Nolan, Jordan, and Julian stress over what color to make it the week before. Jordan was very specific in the way she wanted it. Brooke knew their party was right after recess, so the kids were outside now. She walked to the window and watched the kids running around.

Then she saw something she didn't like so much…

Jordan was standing over by the teacher against the wall. She was crying and her face was very red.

When the class came inside, Brooke waddled over to Jordan and her teacher, Ms. Jeanne.

"Jordan, what happened? Did you get hurt, honey?"

Jordan didn't say anything.

"Mrs. Baker, welcome. Well we had a little incident during snack today so I wouldn't let Jordan have recess today."

"Jordan?..." Brooke wanted to know how Jordan got in trouble, but she wasn't getting an answer.

"Jordan kicked one of the boys in her class in the…um…private area and we had to take him down to the nurse."

"Jordan! Why would you do that?" Jordan still didn't say anything.

"Excuse me Ms. Jeanne. I'm going to take Jordan down to the bathroom for a second. We'll be right back."

.

Brooke grabbed Jordan's hand and pulled her out of the classroom. When they were safely down the hall, she turned to Jordan.

"Jordan Baker, what were you thinking hurting that boy?!"

Jordan broke down in tears. Brooke felt bad; she couldn't ever bend down or hold her daughter to comfort her.

"What happened honey? Was he mean to you, sweetie?"

"He called me 'orphan girl'. He said that…that no one wanted me. His sister knows Nolan and he said that I didn't look like her cause we aren't really sisters at all."

"Jordan. Look at me...." Jordan sniffled and looked up at Brooke.

"You are NOT an orphan…you're my daughter and you _always_ will be. What do silly boys know anyways? Is Nolan your sister?"

"Yeah…"

"Then she is. It's as simple as that. Don't let mean boys get to you…he's wrong. But that doesn't mean it's right to kick him either."

"Yes, I know. I'm sorry, Momma. I'll tell Danny sorry too."

"Good girl…now let's go enjoy the party hmmm?! Got any secret Valentines?"

"I like this boy Adam. He's nice to me…but then this boy Brody… he's just so _cute_!"

Jordan was all smiles, and all Brooke could think was 'She's definitely my daughter…Here we go…'.

;;

;

"Brooke? We're all ready for you; come on back."

.

The nurse took Brooke's vitals and Brooke had changed into a gown while she told Julian what happened with Jordan. He was concerned about what she did, but somehow he was even _more_ concerned about potential kindergarten boyfriends.

Brooke and Julian were now waiting for the doctor to come in. They were still debating whether to find out the sex of the babies, but it really didn't matter much since, at the last visit, the babies were not cooperating and were not in a good position to tell anyways.

"Hello, hello. How are we doing today?" Dr. Avery greeted the couple.

"Let's see how big they've gotten, shall we?"

Dr. Avery started the ultrasound and focused on Brooke's lower belly. "This is baby A, who seems very active this afternoon…I'd ballpark this baby at around one pound now…and this one's probably the biggest of the three…"

Brulian held hands as they watched the tiny figure on the monitor. Dr. Avery moved the wand around to do the same thing for babies B and C. Dr. Avery then gave Brooke an internal exam and asked her routine questions.

"Any pain or cramping at all?"

"No."

"Spotting?"

"Nope; none."

"Okay Brooke…things look very good right now, but that doesn't mean that we're home free. Sudden changes with multiples can happen quickly so you need to be extra cautious. We don't want these babies to come earlier than they have to, okay?"

"She should be resting more, right? I'm trying to get her to stop her crazy schedule but she won't do it for me. It'll take a doctor's warning to get her to take me more seriously and relax." Julian was concerned. He just wanted Brooke and the babies to be healthy.

"Well we definitely want that…I don't want to have to put you on bed rest, but I will if that's what it takes."

"No, no, no. That's not necessary." Brooke pleaded.

"Hahaha. Unless you want me to try to see the sex of the babies, you're all set."

"Well we haven't really come to a decision so I guess we'll wait."

"Okay then, I'll see you soon. You're free to go."

"Thank you, Dr. Avery."

**Not the best chapter i know. but i have the greatest Julian moment ever!! in the next chapter. Keep commenting:]**

**~ Haley**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

**April 7, 2013**

Right now, Brooke was sketching on the couch and watching an old rerun of _Who's the Boss?_. Tristan had refused to go down for a nap so she let him play with his trucks in his room. She had just finished a new beautiful dress and matching men's tux sketches when she heard his tiny voice.

"Can I have 'dis?"

Brooke turned towards the kitchen and saw that Tristan had snuck into the kitchen, climbed up on a chair and gotten to the candy jar. He was sitting with his feet dangling off the counter and he was holding up his favorite candy: mini Reece's PB Cups.

"Excuse me, what do you think you're doing up there mister?"

Brooke stood up slowly and walked over to him. She carefully helped him slide off the counter and onto the floor.

"Hold me!" He lifted his arms into the air and stood on his toes.

"I'm sorry, bud…Mommy's belly's getting too big for that…"

She grabbed his hand and walked his towards the couch.

"You can surely sit here with me though."

He held up the pieces of candy once more, without a word. She felt bad that she couldn't hold him, so even though he wasn't supposed to climb up and steal candy, she decided to let it slide. Funny enough, even when he snuck candy, he always asked for permission to eat it.

"Only if I can have one too..." Tristan smiled and shared with his mom.

She turned the channel so he could watch _Thomas the Tank Engine_ as they lay on the couch together. He leaned against Brooke's arm since he couldn't sit on top of her and she stroked his strawberry blonde locks. It was getting a little long so it was starting to curl at the ends. Brooke knew it would be most convenient to have Julian take him to get it cut, but she loved it this way. He was getting so big and growing so fast these days. She wanted to treasure the weekdays she had with him: just Tristan and Mommy, pre-new baby siblings and while everyone was at school and work.

;;

At one o'clock Julian entered the house to surprise Brooke with takeout lunch from her favorite restaurant in town. He knew she was always too distracted to think about herself and wanted to make sure she ate well before she got the girls from school.

"Brooke…" He whispered when he saw her motionless figure on the couch. He approached and saw that Brooke and Tristan were both fast asleep. He covered them both with a blanket, crouched down next Brooke's head, and put his hand on her baby bump.

"Hi my sweet babies. I can't wait to meet you!…You should know before you get here how great your mommy is and how much I need you to be _really _careful not to come too soon….or hurt Mommy."

He kissed her stomach and wiped a tear from his eye. He couldnt say this to Brooke, so he might as well tell his babies: they wouldnt tell anyone...

"If Daddy ever lost Mommy…then...well...Daddy doesn't think he would be able to live anymore…his heart would break so bad if anything happened to his family." Julian cried silently wile his hand rested softly against his wife. He buried his head in the crook of his elbow.

All Julian could think about these days was how he lost Melanie after Nolan's birth. It was so painful back then, but Julian knew his love for Brooke was so much greater and more mature than when he was fifteen. If Brooke was somehow hurt by the birth…Julian would not be able to control his emotions. He was positive he wouldn't be able to move on or cope with things alone. He would hit bottom fast. Brooke was his rock whether she knew that or not; she held him together. He desperately tried to hide his fears from Brooke, but right now the stress and worry was getting to him.

He looked up and kissed Brooke's cheek, causing her eyes to flutter.

"Husband?" Brooke rasped. Her sleepy eyes opened to see Julian standing over her, his eyes teary. She reached up and touched his cheek.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing Angel…I was just thinking…uhh…I was just getting caught up in how happy you make me and how beautiful you are…especially having a pregnant glow."

He flashed his illegal grin.

"You are so cute...What are you doing home?"

"Oh…" He turned and grabbed the bag off the coffee table. "I got you a decent meal. I wanted to make sure you ate something good. I want those babies plump and healthy when they arrive…" Julian half-joked.

"You're the best, you know that?"

"Of course I know. All the ladies tell me…" They laughed. They both knew he only had eyes for one woman and six little ones.

"Oh yeah; I'm sure."

;;

Brooke ate and Julian left to pick the girls up from school. When he arrived home with Nolan and Jordan, Tristan had woken up from his nap and greeted them at the door.

"Dadda!" Julian scooped up his son and hugged his tight.

"Hey buddy. Where's your Momma?"

Tristan shrugged his shoulders and scampered away, chasing after the girls. Julian made his way to the master bedroom and knocked on the closed bathroom door.

"Brooke…?" He opened the door and peeked inside to find Brooke sitting on the toilet.

She looked up at him with scared, red eyes. Uncontrollable tears flowed freely.

"Something's wrong…"

She raised her hand to show Julian. It was covered in blood…

Julian ran to her and knelt down.

"Oh God. What can I do?" His hand went right to her belly. He tried not to panick; she already was.

"Ahhhh….it hurts. It can't be labor, Julian, it's too early! They're only....uhh... 29 weeks!"

"It's going to be fine…we're ALL going to be fine."

Julian reached into his pocket to call an ambulance. Brooke's pain was getting even worse now and she was scared out of her mind. She knew this was not good.

"AAAAAHHHHH!!!"

.

**Get your votes in for baby names! Top 3 names for the triplets! regardless of gender' just _three at most _please :]  
try to pick the three that you think go together and also with Jordan, Nolan and Tristan too :] cause its getting confusing with all the names people like.  
I've decided that if there aren't clear winners for baby names, i am going to combine some names. Names that were originally the first names may become middle names..**

**if you have one or two ideas that arent on the list, mention them and if i like them, i may use one somehow :]**

**p.s. omg i heard the CUTEST names ever on discovery health channel about the Jones quints in Austin, TX (boy jack, and girls britton, brooklyn, ryan, and lila, plus big sister eliot) look them up! :] i thought they were so cutee! i absolutely LOVE eliot as a girls name, since i have a thing for boyish-girls names (lol example nolan =P ) how do u like eliot instead of elise??**

**~Haley**


	23. Chapter 23

**Got some amazing messages and i thank you all for supporting my story. I absolutely love writing it and love the reacions even more.  
This is the only way i'm making it through the haitus. ONE MONTH till new episodes thank god. Praying for season 8 as i lknow many of you are as well.**

**i pretty much picked the baby names from the voting. It was a tough decision since i change my mind every other second it seems and the voting was tight throughout. **

**ENJOY!**

Chapter 23

The ambulance came and rushed Brooke to the hospital where she was quickly changed into a gown and hocked up to machines to monitor the babies. Julian also called Haley and she had Nathan speed over to the house to watch the kid so Julian could stay with Brooke. Brooke's desperate and scared cries frightened the kids, but Julian tried to keep them calm and away from the bathroom. She didn't want to scare them, but she just couldn't control her reaction to the pain and stress of the situation. The pain was that bad.

"Hello Brooke. I'm not really happy to see you here just yet. Let's see what's happening…"

Dr. Avery got a pair of gloves and sat down at the end of Brooke's bed. She lifted the sheets and told Brooke to relax her legs down.

"Relax Brooke...You too dad..."

Julian's face inadvertently cringed as Dr. Avery checked Brooke.

"Okay Brooke. Good news and bad news. I am seeing the begining signs of pre-aclampsia which is _very _concerning. Plus you've started dilating and you're at about two centimeters. Only problem is that you're about two months too soon. These are anxious little fellas"

She tried for humor but Brooke and Julian weren't laughing.

"What's the good news?"

"Well you're water hasn't broken yet so we are going to try to get your labor to stop before things progress further. I'll start you on coctail of medications to try to stop contractions and progress the maturation of the babies' lungs…just in case. We'll see how things go from here and _maybe _i can get you back home resting for the next two months."

The doctor was hopeful but was also preparing for the babies to arrive sooner than planned.

;;

;

"How do you feel, babe?"

"You've been asking me that every other minute…"

Brooke had been admitted five hours ago and the labor was not fully stopped. But the bleeding had stopped on the way to the hopsital, which was a relief. Brooke was tired and could feel the active babies inside her more intensely than ever before.

Just then Dr. Avery entered once again. She looked at the monitors and Brooke's chart beside the bed and frowned.

"It slowed some, but I'm not seeing exactly what I want…the babies seem stable but you're not out of the woods yet, okay? Get some rest and I'll be back later. Get some sleep if you can."

"Do you think there's any chance that I could go home? I don't feel pain from the contractions at all anymore."

"I'm sorry Brooke, but the way things are progressing, even if this labor stops completely, I want you right here where I can watch you…Bed rest is the best thing for you and these babies. You were high risk before, but things seem to be getting more complicated that I'd like to see. "

Brooke was not happy to say the least, but nonetheless, Julian was relieved. This guaranteed that Brooke would rest and he could do things and finish getting the nursery together without having to worry about her having contractions alone or with just the kids. He wanted to surprise Brooke by finishing it anyways. He had some great ideas on what to do with it.

;;

"It's okay guys; go on in. Mommy's okay." Julian ushered the kids into Brooke's hospital room on the maternity floor. They had been asking Naley about their Mom all night because they were worried. The girls heard Brooke's screams at home and knew she was in a lot of pain. They were worried about their baby siblings too.

"Hi angels…It's okay. Come over here so I can hug you!" Each of the girls leaned over the bed to hug their Brooke. They were afraid to hurt her so they were extra gentle. Tristan was also gentle…well as gentle as little boys can be. He climbed his way up the side of Brooke's bed sheets to get to her and threw his hands around her neck.

"Are you gonna be okay Mommy? I want you to come home…" Jordan asked teary-eyed.

"Are you having the babies soon?" Nolan was curious.

"Not yet, no. But I can't come home because the babies want to come a little too early and the doctors don't want that…they're too little right now."

Just then Dr. Avery stepped in to check on Brooke. "Hello guys. You must be Brooke's older babies that I've heard so much about!"

The kids smiled at her, but they all still had their own fears about doctors and hospitals.

After looking at Brooke's monitors, she made a happy statement.

"Well Brooke. I'm liking what I see. The meds have controlled the labor wonderfully and I'm hoping to keep these babies safe and sound inside for the next month at least. And I know... the last thing you want is to stuck here away from home, but I think I have an idea that will make everyone happy tonight."

"What's that?" Julian was curious now.

"How about we take a look at these babies so their older sisters and brother can see, hmmmm?"

The girls' faces lit up. "Really! Can we find out if they're girls or boys?"

"We'll see. Sometimes the babies aren't cooperative, but I'll try."

Brooke and Julian had wanted to wait to find out the sexes, but now that the kids were so excited, they gave their approval to Dr. Avery. She showed the Baker family each baby's head, feet, arms, legs, and hands as best she could, leaving the exciting news until last.

"Baby A…" Dr. Avery pointed to the screen, "is a boy."

"Baby B is …." She moved the wand again… "another boy!"

"And finally Baby C is…."

"PLEASE SAY A GIRL!" Nolan jumped up and down, so hoping she was getting a baby sister. Jordan also jumped along side of Nolan, hoping the same thing.

Dr. Avery smiled down at the girls. "A girl is right!"

"YAYAY!!!!!" The girls danced around as Brooke and Julian's eyes met. Their future was so close they could almost touch it. They were happy no matter what the sexes were, but they were glad to have one of each gender.

"Now the girls team and the boys teams are even Mommy!" Jordan tugged on Brooke's arm.

Brooke laughed. "Oh yes, honey…nice and even."

;;

;

The next morning Brooke was being forced to settle into a routine and was already bored. Luckily she got some company to pass the time.

"Knock, knock!"

"Haley! What are you doing here? Didn't you just leave here with my kids late last night?"

"Well I wanted to check on you…plus I really have nothing else to do…" Haley joked. She had just left her teaching position for the rest of the school year since she was about to give birth herself. Haley was a little bored as well lately since Mr. Protective Nathan made sure that the boys were out of her hair so she didn't over do it (Julian and Nathan were the best of friends now and got ideas from each other). Unlike Brooke, Haley was overdue and itching to meet her daughter. Yes, daughter.

"Oh thanks. I feel special!"

"I'm just kidding, Tigger. You know I am worried about you."

"I'm doing okay, but apparently I'm in here for the long haul. Julian went home to get more of my stuff…How are my babies behaving?"

"Oh don't worry about them. They saw that you are okay and we they were excited to have a sleepover with their cousins. Nolan was worried after she saw you in pain, but I can tell she is trying to be brave for Jordan and Tristan. I dropped the girls and Jamie off at school while Nathan decided to tackle a park day with the three boys."

Brooke laughed at the thought. Nathan was great with kids, but he had yet to spend an entire day with a larger group of boys all under four. Plus somehow Naley had been blessed with very mellow boys, something Tristan was not. He was far from the boy Brooke had found alone and abandoned. Now he was full of energy most all the time and loved to run away from adults like it was a never-ending game.

"So do you miss teaching, Tutor Mom? Are you missing work like crazy, like I am?"

Brooke never got a response. All she saw was Haley's face turn twelve shades of white as she rested on the edge of a nearby chair.

"Hales?...Haley?......You okay, sweetie?"

From where Haley was situated behind the bed railings, Brooke could not see the puddle that had accumulated beneath Haley's dress.

"This baby is coming…."

Brooke was caught off guard by this little event but eventually came back to reality. She smiled at Haley and pressed her call button for a nurse to come. Haley was ushered by a few nurses into another room and Brooke called Nathan and Julian to come. Haley's labor went ridiculously fast, possibly because it was her fourth child, and Nathan barely made it in time. Brooke (in a wheelchair) and Nathan were by Haley's side as she pushed.

Baby Girl Rylan Penny Scott was born at 11:07 AM. She weighed eight pounds, eight ounces and already looked just like her Daddy.

Brooke looked at Naley as they swooned over their daughter with such awe. Brooke was also extremely touched that Haley's only daughter shared a part of her name just like Sawyer did. And she was also ecstatic that she would soon be able to have a moment like that with her own newborns. Little did Brooke know that hers and Haley's deliveries would be far from the same.

**So you know she's having a girl and two boys! and Haley has her baby girl! :]]]**

**I'm actually going to bring in Peyton soon. SHOCKER I know, but even if I don't like her, I know Brooke would want her best friend there when she gave birth.  
Everyone else will be there eventually too. **

**~ Haley**


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

"BROOKE! BROOKE! OPEN YOUR EYES BABE!"  
Brooke was startled awake by a combination of things: Julian's voice, the beeping machines that surrounded her, and the dull pain she now felt on her lower back. She was quickly met with another intense pain in her lower stomach and she thought she was going to pop. Nurses swarmed around her and a doctor soon immerged.

"Mrs. Baker, I'm Dr. Andrews, let's see what'd going on with your babies…"

He grabbed some gloves and sat down to examine Brooke.

"No no no. AHH! Wait! Where's Dr. Avery? Where is she?" Brooke was panicking, but that was only making things worse.

"Brooke please calm down. It's the middle of the night and Dr. Avery will be paged if necessary. But I don't want to wake her up if it's not necessary…okay?"

Brooke took a deep breath and squeezed Julian's hand tightly. Dr. Andrews examined Brooke and then moved to do an ultrasound.

"One of the babies is in distress so I need to see if I can move the babies so one isn't crushing the placenta of another."

Brooke shut her eyes tightly as Dr. Andrews manipulated her stomach with his hands. It was very painful but soon the beeps slowed and so he stopped. Brooke was too shocked to respond and let her head fall back.

"Are they okay?" Julian had tears in his eyes, begging this doctor to take care of his wife and family.

"For now…yes. But I see signs that these babies may not make it much further inside."

"I've only been here for a week…They're won't even be 30 weeks for another four days! Dr. Avery said that they're still way too small!"

"We can still have hope, Brooke. Keep taking it easy and hopefully we can keep them out of danger….Now get some rest."

;;

;

A paranoid Brooke sat in her hospital bed for the twenty-fourth day in a row. As of today, she was now a whopping 32 weeks pregnant with her triplets. She had spent those days sleeping, watching TV, going through baby name books, and getting visits from her family. She was excited because they had picked names that both she and Julian loved ahead of time. They wanted to know their babies names immediately when they came into the world. They wanted to put the face to the name right away.

Brooke was still desperate to go home, but she was even more determined to prove Dr. Andrew's prediction wrong, which she was doing well at so far.

"Mummy!" Brooke was greeted by Tristan's smiling face as he burst through the door. He was so used to visiting his Mom at the hospital that he remembered how to get to her room from the elevator all by himself. If only he was allowed to… Julian ran in behind Tristan out of breath.

"Happy Birthday, my big boy!!!!" Brooke exclaimed reaching her arms out for him.

Yes, it was Tristan's fourth birthday today, May 3rd, 2013. Brooke was so upset that she wasn't able to go anywhere to celebrate special for him, like Chuck E. Cheese or a baseball game, but she did the best she could to make him happy. She hugged him in her arms with all her might and he settled so he was next to her big belly, leaning against her chest.

"I can't believe how big my little baby is!"

"I no baby. 'Dem the baby." Tristan poked Brooke's stomach, referring to the babies inside of her. "I four now!"

"You will always be our baby boy, Tristan, even when you're forty-four! I love you so much." Brooke kissed the top of his head and tickled his tummy, causing him to squeal. She loved the sound of his laugh and wanted to treasure the time she had left with him as the youngest.

"I want baby now!" Tristan demanded.

"Yeah Brooke. Maybe these babies could be Tristan's gift this year…" Julian joked.

"Oh no, Daddy. I think Tristan wants a better present than that this year…one that's really special!"

"Presents fo' me?!" Tristan's eyes were filled with curiosity and joy.

"Yes…why don't you go see what's behind Mommy's chair over there bud…"

Brooke pointed to the rocking chair in her room. Behind it was a HUGE box covered in a bed sheet. Tristan jumped down off the bed and ran towards it. He stopped short and looked back at his parents before ripping the sheet off.

"WOW!!!"

Under the sheet was a box containing a '12 Volt Mercedes Benz G55 Silver 2 Seater Ride On' motorized car.

"Do you like it, buddy?"

"Open peas!!!" Tristan jumped up and down next to the box.

"I'll take that as a yes…"

;;

;

After Julian brought Tristan's new favorite toy home for him to play with later, he picked the girls up at school and swung by to pick up Brooke's favorite takeout. Julian and the three kids arrived back at the hospital to find that Brooke had convinced some nurses to help decorate for a birthday party for Tristan. The whole family was there to surprise him. They had cake and Tristan opened more presents. He was so happy, and Brooke was so glad she didn't ruin his day with her hospital bed rest. It was about five P.M. when an unexpected guest showed up to surprise Brooke.

"Whoa, Davis! You're even bigger that I expected!"

Brooke's head spun at the sound of a familiar voice.

"PEYTON! OMG!"

Peyton rushed over to the bed and was welcomed with the crushing strength of Brooke's hug.

"It's Baker now... and what are you doing here? Where's Lucas…and Saywer and Annie?"

"They're not flying in for a few days, lucky Lucas I know, but I wanted to come see you first and he had some meetings about a new book deal."

"How long are you here for? Why are you here?"

"Well…I have some business stuff I needed to get done…and we decided to turn it into a vacation home to Tree Hill."

"That's vague, P. Scott…you don't really even work at _Red Bedroom Records_ anymore…."

Peyton quickly changed the subject to the triplets and Brooke just went along with it. She knew Peyton was hiding something but didn't want to waste time. She didn't know how long she had with her best friend.

When the party died down, Julian decided to take the kids home for the night, leaving Brooke to have some along time with Peyton, who promised to stay all night. They talked about the babies' names, and what it felt like to have give birth and have a C-section (because Peyton experienced both), how Brooke felt with multiple babies moving around, and what adventures the Scotts have had with Grandma Karen, Andy and Aunt Lilly.

"Annie has almost started saying words and so Lilly has been teaching her to say her name. She wants SO BAD for 'Lilly' to be her first word! It's adorable."

"Awww, I can't believe she's already fourteen months! It's ridiculous that I've only seen her pictures. I can't wait to meet her."

"If it's possible, she looks more and more like Karen everyday. She's going to be the spitting image of Lilly one day."

"And Saywer looks just like you…poor Lucas, he needs a boy like him…"

"Oh God. No thank you! I love my girls; they are enough for us, Mrs. Born-to-be-a-Mom,-Mommy-of-six."

"I'm just saying…" Brooke laughed.

"Wow. It's one o'clock in the morning. I can't believe we've been talking for so many hours. You should be getting some sleep Brooke."

"Don't worry P. S. Scott. I've been trapped here for weeks. I'm plenty rested."

"Okay…but don't be mad if I fall asleep on you...."

.

"Peyton? Uuhh.. Peyton, wake up."

Peyton stirred in the chair only to find that her neck and back ached from the awkward sleeping arrangement.

"Hey…what's wrong?"

"I think I'm having contractions…"

"What?" Peyton rubbed the sleep from her tired eyes. "Oh, okay. I'll get you a doctor…" Peyton began to run out of the room.

"No wait! I already pressed my call button. Just stay with me…and can you call Julian?"

"Yeah, yes of course."

;;

;

In a record 23 minutes, Julian was back at the hospital. Thank goodness they had a lot of family so close to stay with the kids or he would have taken much longer with sleeping children in tow.

"Brooke!…"

He ran to her bedside where Peyton was helping her with her breathing.

"They're getting closer together…wooooo….they say one of the babies is in distress. I think this is it Jay!"

"The on-call doctor called her primary to come in; she's on the way." Peyton informed him.

"Remember last time…he said they would only call Dr. Avery if they thought it was serious…ahhh!"

Julian grabbed both of Brooke's hands in his and kissed her sweaty forehead.

"You're going to be alright, and so are these babies, okay?"

He was so good at comforting her. She was so glad he was there.

The nurses had Brooke roll on her left side to get the stress of the babies and this allowed Julian to sit behind her, rubbing her pain away. It wasn't really helping, but Brooke didn't tell him. He wanted to do something to help her; to be needed.

"Hi Brooke. It always concerns me to get 2 A.M phone calls…"

"I'm….woo, oooo…sorry…"

"Oh no. Don't be. Let's just see how things are looking and go from there, okay?"

Dr. Avery examined Brooke for the first and last time that night.

"Well it seems that Baby A's heart rate is dropping and his siblings are iching to come tonight …one of the baby's bag of water has broken and you're four centimeters dilated."

"No no no. I'm not ready! They're still too early…"

"Breathe Brooke. 32 week old triplets are far ahead of some babies that are born premature. They won't be totally out of the water, but they can survive just fine… Okay, parents. Are you ready to meet your babies?"

Brooke and Julian's eyes met and the realization hit them. Today was their babies' birthday.

**i know i know, i'm killing you guys with all these false alarms and cliffhangers! but brooke will have her babies next chapter i promise. :]]]]]]]]]]]]**

**Okay so i decided to give Leyton another baby.. cause i just felt like it lol. Annie Elizabeth Scott (cross between Anna&Ellie) was named for Peyton's moms;  
Peyton would want it that way im sure.**

**Next chapter you'll meet the new Bakers!  
****Again, i'll say that I've decided i may combine the winning names with other names from the list that were also voted for as middle names as well.**

**~Haley**


	25. Chapter 25

**HERE IT IS! WHAT YOU'VE ALL BEEN PATIENTLY WAITING FOR!**

**I would respond to the amazing comments if i could, but some of you don't have accounts, darn.  
Thanks for being great fans. Please continue... lol**

Chapter 25

Brooke was now lying on her back, literally exposed for the room to see. As she looked back on her life so far, especially high school, she would have never expected that she, the free-spirited, secure cheerleader, would feel embarrassed to be naked _anywhere_, never mind only in front of doctors and nurses. They saw this all the time right? Then why was she so nervous? Oh yeah….babies were about to come out of her.

Brooke had just been moved down the hall and onto a cold, metal table. An epidural was now securely placed in her spine.

This was it! She was about to have a C-section.

She wondered where Julian was. He had been ushered away in the confusion. A baby blue paper sheet was placed in front of her so she could not see anything from her arms down, which she was quite thankful for. Dr. Avery entered the room and began spreading some kind of alcohol sanitizer across the base of her large stomach.

"Please wait!…Where's Julian?"

"Don't worry Brooke. I'm not starting anything yet."

Her body felt weird. She wasn't in pain anymore. She couldn't feel the weight of the babies like she had for months now. It was like she was weightless on the moon.

"Can you feel this Brooke?" Dr. Avery pinched Brooke slightly with one of her medical forceps.

"Feel what?"

"Great…just checking."

"Hi Honey…" Brooke's eyes wandered above her as a totally scrub-covered Julian kissed her forehead through his mask.

"Don't I look beautiful?" Brooke joked.

"You are stunning." Julian was totally serious and Brooke smiled.

"Take a deep breath Bakers. Savor this moment without any crying newborns…" Dr. Avery joked.

"Now you won't feel any pain Brooke, but you will feel some pressure and some tugging."

"Okay." Julian's hand grabbed Brooke's, which was stretched out beside her. A nurse had binded them down a few minutes ago, though Brooke didn't understand why. It wasnt like she was going to try to extract one of the babies herself; she would leave that up to a professional. She felt like Jesus on a cross; only she wasn't dying by any means. She was fulfilling a dream of having a child come from within her and out into the world. Right now she was scared shitless by her own dream.

"Here we go…I'm touching Baby A…and…." Brooke and Julian waited to hear their baby's first cry, "It's a boy!" But it didn't come.

"Why isn't he crying?"

Dr. Avery held the small baby up over the blue sheet then quickly handed him off to a nurse.

"Don't worry Brooke. They'll get him talking."

Before this moment, Brooke was terrified that her babies would somehow get mixed up, or switched with other babies. But right now, after seeing her son only for a split second, she knew she could pick him out of a thousand babies if she had to.

"Oh my......he's beautiful! He looks just like you, Jay!" Brooke cried. Julian's mouth hung open.

"That's our _Jeremy_!"

"Well we still have two more beauties to go…here's comes another boy…He's bottom first, that's how I know."

Brulian both gave a laugh. They wondered if this baby's arrival would foreshadow anything about his personality: always being unique.

A strong cry radiated throughout the room this time; this one was definitely a strong fella.

"Here's your son!" Dr. Avery held the second baby up, one with piercing blue eyes, before handing him off to another nurse.

Julian smiled and looked into Brooke's eyes, waiting for her to speak. "He looks like a _Bentley _to me" Brooke stated.

"Almost done Brooke… Are you ready to meet your daughter?"

"Oh yes…"

Suddenly a softer, gentler cry was heard. "It's a girl!"

For the last time that night, Dr. Avery held a baby up for Brulian to see.

"That's our _Sienna _girl!"

;

Brooke and Julian had given **a lot** of thought into the babies' names over the last few months,  
but had made the decisions a few weeks prior so that they would be ready when the babies came:

**May 4, 2013**

**JEREMY JASON BAKER**:  
3:54 A.M, 3 lbs 1 oz, 16.4 inches long, a skinny little thing.  
His hair was lighter like Julian's, almost blonde from what they could see so far and he had dimples just like Brooke.  
They named him for Julian's brother Jason, who had been closer to the family in recent months. He will sometimes be called Jere or JJ for short.

**BENTLEY RYAN BAKER**:  
3: 57 A.M., 3 lb 8 oz, 17.5 inches long, the bigger of the boys.  
His hair was dark like Brooke's and he already had his daddy's piercingly beautiful eyes. And actually Jordan had been the one to suggest the name Ben,  
and it stuck in Brooke's mind for months; she loved it but thought it would be more original to make it a little different and unique.

**SIENNA AVERY BAKER**:  
4:01 A.M., 4 lb even, 17.7 inches long, already a princess.  
Sea, as she will sometimes be called, is the healthiest of all three. She's already a tough girl who isn't pushed around by her big brothers. She has a small patch of dark hair and  
dimples like her Mommy. She got her middle name from the doctor who made this miracle pregnancy happen, Dr. Avery.

Brooke and Julian did not see any of this coming some five years ago: marriage and six kids. This life was unexpected but fully welcomed with open arms.

**THE END. **

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**APRIL FOOLS! i wouldnt do that to ya! :]**

**Short but I just didn't want to move on too fast. The new additions needed a proper introduction. ****  
I'll give you some time to gush over the idea of these newborns lol. **

**Will they all be healthy? What will happen if they aren't? What do you think?**

**Are there even CRAZIER twists to come for the Bakers? ;)**

.

**~Haley**


	26. Chapter 26

**Okay. Very short wait for this next chapter but i couldn't resist. I am very excited about where i'm bringing the story and i hope you are too! Any suggestions would be great!**

Chapter 26

Brooke was now back in her hospital room, medicated and recovering from the surgery. It was the wee early hours of the morning and the sun was coming up. She was weak and tired, but was determined to stay awake to see her babies. She was worried about them and hadn't heard whether they were healthy or not. She tried not to think about it, but in that back of her mind, the ideas were killing her. Jeremy didn't cry; Bentley wasn't moving his legs or arms; Sienna was a little blue. She was a wreck. Julian had gone to see them and promised to bring back a report and pictures on his phone and camera really, really soon. Haley, Nathan, Jamie, Jocelyn & Mark, Mouth & Rachel, and everyone else were coming to visit a weary Brooke today sometime. One guest was already here and had been all night.

"Hey new mommy! How are you feeling?"

Brooke saw Peyton and the tears started flowing.

"Hey what's wrong honey…" Peyton was quick to take Brooke in her arms gently.

"I'm just so happy and scared all at the same time."

"Welcome to life with babies…" Peyton said with a laugh, "You'll be okay B. Davis-Baker."

"Thanks P. Sawyer Scott." :)

"Would you like to hold your baby girl?"

Brooke lifted her head out of Peyton's shoulder and saw her husband standing at the door with a bundle of pink blanket. He gave her his illegal grin and walked over to her, not even waiting for the obvious response. Julian placed the blanket-covered newborn into Brooke's arms. Peyton left the room to give the Bakers a moment alone.

"She's really okay? They're okay?"

"The pediatric specialist said she is doing just fine…she doesn't even need oxygen."

"Hi baby girl…Hi Sienna…I'm your mommy…do you remember me? Do you recognize your mommy's voice? I can't believe you were inside me! Can you?!" The baby cooed. Brooke directed the next statement to Julian.

"And the boys? Why didn't you bring them too?"

Julian stayed silent for a few seconds, trying to gather his thoughts. Brooke knew this wasn't good news.

"They're okay babe. But they're not doing as well as Sienna here…"

He didn't want to tell her that Jeremy couldn't breathe on his own or that Bentley was also covered in wired and monitors. She wasn't emotionally ready for any of that.

"I want to see them. You brought pictures right?"

Brooke's eyes never left her new baby girl. Sienna looked just like Brooke, Julian thought.

"Umm…are you sure you don't want to wait to see them for yourself. I can take you down to the nursery a little later. But you should really get some sleep Brooke. Doctors orders…"

Julian lied, but he assumed the doctors wanted Brooke to rest, and even if they didn't, HE certainly did.

"Stop avoiding… I want to see pictures of my boys." Brooke persisted.

Julian gave her a serious look: one that said 'You need to rest!'

"Okay…okay, I'll rest after I see my boys."

Julian held out the camera to his wife, who held up her free hand.

"No! You just promised to take me down to see them. Plus Sea would like to meet her big brothers, wouldn't you baby girl..."

;

The nursery was quiet and dark at this time of the morning. It was only about 6:30 A.M. now. Brooke (in a wheelchair) and Julian were led to matching incubators on the back left side of the NICU, the neonatal intensive care unit, where the sickest of babies and premies are cared for. One sign said Baby Boy Baker (A) while the other said Baby Boy Baker (B).

"Now I know it looks scary, but most of the wires are just monitors so we can watch them closely."

This nurse was so sweet and seemed too young to be an RN, never mind out of college. But she seemed reassuring.

Brooke peered in at one of her newest additions: Baby A, Jeremy. Wires and tubes extended from his mouth, small foot, chest, and a million other places. His eyes were covered with a light, blocking pads and his chest rose and fell sharply. She started drying immediately.

"Jeremy, here, is having the most trouble breathing right now and he is a little bit Jondus, but he is very brave and strong, Mommy." There's that positive attitude.

Brooke stuck her hand through a hole into the incubator and touched her son's tiny fingers for the first time. They were so frail, skinny, and slightly yellow. It was scary to think about whether he was feeling pain.

"Hey mommy! I want to say hello to you…"

Brooke's head turned and she saw Julian standing over the incubator of Baby B. She wheeled herself over the two feet to get a better look at her other new baby boy, Bentley. She was immediately met with the huge blue eyes she had seen after he was delivered. Bentley was covered with fewer wires and seemed more active than his brother. She touched her hand to his head and felt the tiny whispers of dark hair that she was already certain came from her.

"Mommy's boys are very…very strong."

Tears dripped down from her eyes and onto her hospital gown. Julian could only stand by and watch, leaning his hand on her shoulder for the only support he could give. They were helpless to help their helpless newborns. They wouldn't wish that on their worst enemies.

;;

;

Three days later, Brooke had insisted that Julian go home while she slept to straighten things out for the kids and to keep working on the nursery. They had spent the last 72 hours with their babies' sides and were learning how to do their part in caring for them while they remained in the hospital.

Little did Brooke know that Julian had secretly finished the nursery a week ago before the triplets were born and while Brooke was hospital-bound. He had called and specifically asked Peyton to come do the wall artwork to surprise Brooke, with the room AND her best friend. That is what business Peyton was _really_ in town for. But regardless, the babies were not close to ready to come home to occupy it anyways. But Brooke wouldn't hear that right now. She was being optimistic, or in denial.

Brooke was being kept at the hospital a little longer than most new moms because of complications with her stitches and high blood pressure. Nothing to be too worried about, just as precaution.

Julian was completely exhausted and was rushing around doing little things he thought would make himself feel better, rather than just thinking all the time. He was half asleep when the doorbell rang. The kids weren't home since they had been staying with Haley, so he assumed that it was them at the door. Boy was he wrong.

Behind the red door stood a tall, thin blonde girl. She was carrying a large gray duffle bag and looked to be early to mid-high school age.

"Excuse me…um…are you Julian Baker?"

"Uhh…yes…I'm sorry. I'm not in the mood to buy anything right now and I'm kind of in a hurry. So--"

She cut him off. "No, no. I'm not selling anything sir. I'm Eli…uh well…Eliot Evalyn Norris. I…I, uhh… I think you're my brother…"

;

**DUN DUN DUUUH! Bet you weren't expecting that lol. :)**

**What do you think?**

**~Haley**


	27. Chapter 27

**:] HAPPY EASTER!**

Chapter 27

While Brooke really wanted bonding time with her husband and their new babies, she was glad to get some alone time. She was embarrassed to say this, but she really didn't want Julian around when she tried to breastfeed. The nurse teaching her was enough embarrassment. She knew it was impossible to directly breastfeed the boys, since they were not well enough to do that successfully, but she still wanted to try with Sienna. And she also had to learn to pump for the boys too.

"Don't worry; she'll get the hang of it…and so will you."

The nurse smiled. This one was older, more experienced in this area since she told Brooke about her own experiences with her children from about a decade ago. She taught Brooke the right 'technique', how to position the baby, and stuff like that. Right now Sienna was barely getting a meal, but hopefully that would improve.

"I don't think that this is working…"

The nurse took the three-day-old baby girl as she started to cry and fuss.

"Oh that's okay. We'll try again later…I'm going to take her back to the nursery and get her a bottle; why don't you sleep for a bit. "

"Okay…" The nurse began to push the small rolling bassinette out of the room. "Wait! Excuse me?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Do you think they are going to be all right? My babies…especially the boys. I'm so worried about them."

"I'd say you shouldn't worry and that you should just enjoy them at this age, but being that I've been in your position, I know…nothing can make you stop worrying."

;;

;

"My father is Paul Norris. I found an old box of my mother's things with my birth certificate in it. Here…see…" She handed him the paper and he read it for himself:

Eliot Evalyn Norris......Leighanne Ray......Paul Norris.....11/21/1997.

"All these years she told me she didn't know who my dad was, but she was obviously lying…"

Julian sat there dumbfounded. This was real. She had proof.

"Wow. I'm sorry…but why are you here?"

Eli's face fell.

"No! I mean, why are you here and not at my father's house?"

"I did some research on our family and found that you and him are producers. I thought it was pretty awesome that you direct my favorite show…and…I don't know. I just didn't want to face him. I don't know if he knows i exist but I'm scared that he doesn't and just wants nothing to do with me. But maybe that's not true either…i really can't trust anything anymore."

"Does your mother know you're here? Or where you are?"

Eli looked down at her feet and rubbed her palms together. "Uhhmm. She's not really around to look out for me…she's dead."

"Oh wow. I'm so sorry for your loss."

"No. It's okay…It was seven months ago. We didn't have the greatest relationship, if you can tell. She had lung cancer…smoking. I told her it was bad for her…but really…she was addicted to _way_ worse things…"

"I'm sorry that you had to go through that…where have you been staying?"

"They put me in this dumb group foster home. They won't even notice I'm gone. They haven't for four days so far now…"

"Where have you been sleeping? On the street?"

"I'm very resourceful…Look. I'm not looking for sympathy here, but I just wanted to know if he did really know about me….our dad…or if he ever mentioned me or my mother, Leighanne Ray."

"I'm sorry. But I've never heard of her…or you until right now. But that doesn't say much. I barely speak to my father. We had a falling out a long time ago."

"What happened?"

"I had a daughter with my girlfriend and I royally disappointed him."

"Oh…"

"Yeah. So maybe you weren't all that bad off without him…"

"Maybe…" Eli smiled a little.

Julian looked at her and saw a glimpse of his own illegal grin smiling back at him.

"What are you going to do now?"

Eli pondered that question for a few seconds before answering with teary eyes and slow speech.

"Nothing…I don't know what to do…"

Eli cried into her hands, and Julian, being the amazing support that he is, held her while she cried.

;

Down in the NICU, Brooke watched as nurses placed a feeding tube into her son Jeremy's nose. They said he could not suck on a nipple since he needed oxygen and he wasn't able to get enough to make him stronger. They ordered all kinds of chest x-rays and tests for him because they couldn't determine the source of the problems he was having. The doctors told her and Julian that Jeremy already had multiple infections that were causing his premature lungs extra distress. He has a weak immune system and can't fight things off my himself. He just couldnt win. Bentley was beginning to get stronger while Jeremy got worse, if worse was even possible.

She was deathly afraid of losing her sons. Even thinking about it sent her over the edge.

.

**What do you think about Eliot? Should she stay in the picture? I wanted to add a twist for the family on top of the new arrivals…  
I picture Eliot as a young Taylor Momsen. Like in the early days of Gossip Girl. Not her crazy hair now, but normal season 1. **

**The Baker house is going to be CRAZY!  
Will Julian face his parents with Eli? Will he confront his father?**

**Poor babies. How sick should i have them get and how long will Brulian be able to endure it?**

**Reviews and suggestions are much appreciated.**

**~Haley**


	28. Chapter 28

**I know the chapters havent been too long but i hope you appreciate that they come often.  
ENJOY!**

Chapter 28

The tender moment between Eli and Julian was shortly interrupted with the sound of Julian's cell phone. Julian excused himself and picked it up. "Hello?"

"Hey babe, it's me. Are you almost here? The doctors want to talk to us about the boys...together." Brooke sniffled when she talked. He knew she had been crying again.

"Oh well actually I'm still at home, but I'll be coming soon okay?"

"Still at home? What's going on?"

"It's nothing to worry about…I'll tell you when I get there…do you need anything?"

.

Eli could hear the conversation from the living room and looked around the room. Kids toys were everywhere and a brand new industrial pack of diapers sat on a nearby chair: 'newborn swaddlers'. Of course he has a family…why wouldn't he? He seems like a great guy.

Eli stood and grabbed her bag, ready to leave. She didn't want to complicate his life more. She regretted this visit already.

"Hey Eli…where are you going?"

"Um… I'm sorry I came like this…I should go…"

Julian lunged and grabbed her hand gently. "Please. You don't need to go. I want you to stay."

"You have a family. I'm not a part of that."

"And that's not your fault. It's my father's… You should stay…I _want_ you to stay."

Julian smiled at his sister.

"Okay…"

"Good."

"So do you have a new baby?"

"Haha…well… three actually…"

"Wow. Congratulations. That's big."

"Thank you. Two boys, Jeremy and Bentley, and a little girl, Sienna."

"I bet they are beautiful."

"They are…And their big siblings are so excited to meet them so that's why I have to go pick them up...."

"Aww. You have other children besides your daughter?"

"Yes…Nolan is my oldest daughter, that's the one I told you about, and Jordan and Tristan are the younger ones. We adopted them last year."

"Wow. Full house… Are you sure you don't want to just forget you met me? Because you have enough on your plate…"

"No no no. I insist. Here…Let me show you to the guest room. I probably will be at the hospital until late tonight, so you have the place to yourself. Use whatever you need: the fridge, shower, TV. Make yourself at home. I'm trusting you here. And i hope it is okay, but i want to call my...our sister Jocelyn. She would love to meet you, I'm sure of it."

"Thank you, Julian. You won't regret this…" Eli smiled. She hadn't been treated so nicely…_ever_ in her life. She wouldn't betray his trust.

;;

;

"MOMMY!!!" Tristan, Jordan, and Nolan ran towards their mother's bed when they entered her hospital room. She was holding their new sister Sienna.

"You okay, Brooke?" Julian asked. Brooke's eyes looked dark and tired. He hoped she was feeling better since the C-section.

"I'm fine."

"She's so little!" Jordan exclaimed.

"I wanna hold her, Mom. Can I?" Nolan asked in a whisper.

"Everyone needs to wash their hands first and sit down in a chair."

The girls scurried over to the sink and Tristan lagged behind. He just stood on his tip toes, peering over the top of the blanket to see Sienna. Julian came up behind him and scooped him up.

"So what do you think, T boy? Can you see the baby?"

"Yeah….baby See-na."

"Sienna…that's right."

"My turn Mommy!" The parents turned to see Nolan and Jordan squished bum-to-bum next to each other in the chair with their arms outstretched. They laughed at the sight.

"Okay girls, be patient."

Julian lifted the little pink bundle from Brooke and lay the sleeping baby in Nolan's waiting arms. "Hold her head up and be very gentle."

Brooke grabbed her nearby camera and snapped the first interaction of all three sisters. A priceless moment.

Julian also showed the three older kids pictures of their brothers. They kids were not allowed in the NICU because of the risk of germs being brought into a room with sick babies. They were disappointed, but were perfectly content with Sienna at the moment. They didn't realize the chaos that two additional babies would bring.

When Sienna was taken back to the nursery for the night, and Peyton had offered to watch the kids for the time being, since Naley had a newborn of their own, the doctors dicussed with them about the babies' conditions. The pediatrician said Sienna was an exceptionally healthy baby and would be home much sooner than both boys. They said that Bentley had a fever but his prognosis looked good. Yet baby Jeremy was giving them some stress. He had not made any progress since his birth and they feared brain damage in the future. Brooke cried on Julian's shoulder when the doctors were gone. After a while she insisted Julian distract her from feeling sorry for herself and the boys. She had to have a positive attitude. That was all she could do to help them.

Julian decided to take this opportunity to talk with Brooke about the surprise at home.

"Honey…I want to talk to you about this afternoon…"

"What's up, baby?"

"Well someone came to the door today, a young girl, Eli…she…she said that she's my sister. My father apparently cheated on my mother in the late 90s and now I have a fourteen year old sister that he never claimed."

Brooke was stunned. "Are you sure?"

"She has the proof. His name is on her birth certificate."

"I don't believe this. What is she like?"

"She's pretty tall and blonde, sarcastic. She kind of looks like my brother Jason and she has my grin, Brooke. This is real. I think she's honestly just looking for some answers. Her mom died recently so really Jocelyn, Jason, and I are all the family she has. She said she was too scared to face our father."

"Well where is she now?"

"At our house. I called Jocelyn and she went over to introduce herself."

"This is unbelievable. And we have three fragile newborns on top of this too. What are we going to do, Julian?"

"I don't know. But I don't want to just let her go live on the street somewhere, which is what she's doing. She ran away from her foster home." Julian took a deep breath. Brooke didn't know what to say. "She's my family, whether I knew about her or not. I have to protect her now, just like you and Jocelyn and our kids."

"You are a great man, Julian Baker. The best I could ever ask for."

The couple hugged tightly. They would worry about everything tomorrow. Right now, they just had to process.

"You should get some sleep now. You are exhausted, i can tell."

"I guess this means you're taking the kids home now."

"I will sit right here with you until you fall asleep because you need me..."

"I love you Baker."

Brooke snuggled herself into Julian's arms and her head against his chest. They laid like that until Brooke was almost asleep. Julian cursed silently when his cell phone ringtone disturbed Brooke. She stirred in his arms and sat up. "I'm sorry babe, go back to sleep." He picked it up quickly when he saw it was Jocelyn.

"Hey how's it going?"

"She's definitely Dad's kid. But we have a problem. She's gone! We were having a great conversation, considering the circumstances. I went to the bathroom for five minutes and she's gone!"

"What? She doesn't have anywhere to go!"

"I don't know, but I'm going out to look…"

"Jocelyn? You still there?"

"Yeah…uh…she left a note…"

"What?"

"It says… 'You all have your own lives. No room for me.' .....I'll call you back if I find her…"

"Damn it…" Julian slammed the phone down and placed his hand on his forehead. This teenager already mattered to him, and really, he knew nothing about her. But the thought of her sleeping on the street terrified him. They had to find her.

'

Eliot walked down the road in the dark and came upon a park bench. She sat down and opened her duffle bag to look for something. Suddenly a huge wave of pain came over her and she doubled over in pain for a few seconds.

"What the hell?" She talked out loud to herself.

She assumed she was just hungry. She hadnt eaen for thre days. She hadn't had a full meal since the group home, either.

She continued looking through her bag when the pain was lesser and she came upon a picture. It was a young Eliot and her mom, back when they lived in a homeless shelter. She could remember that as being the first time she ever had her own cot. She usually just slept in the same bed as her mom, or on the floor. She remembered asking her mom about who her dad was in that homeless shelter many years ago. Her mom said that when she approached the father about custody and child support, he denied the whole thing and demanded a paternity test. And the test came back negative. So Eliot's mom explained that she really didn't know who her dad was. That guy, Eliot guessed, was Paul Norris. So apparently her mom had lied to her, _big surprise_. Her mother was a junkie and a woman of many men. She often told Eliot to stay hidden away in the closet while she had guys and drug dealers over. She said it would be better if the guy didnt know she had a kid until she tricked him into marrying her or stole his drug supply 'the morning after'. Her mom had many boyfriends before she got sick, but never a husband. Eliot was actually relieved that the cancer caused her mom to stay in the hospital. This assured that none of those men could hurt her and she had decent meals. Eli loved the fact that the hospital rarely shut off the lights in the hallways at night. She hated the dark. Bad things happened to her in the dark. She hadnt been sexually assaulted ever, but it had gotten pretty close. She had been slapped around by a few guys and even her own mom when she was on something. Eliot vowed when she was nine to never do drugs ever in her life, or associate with those how did. She saw the effects in her everyday life since she could remember.

As she looked down at the picture, it began to get wet. She thought it was raining, but realized they were her own tears. She suddenly ripped up the picture fiercely and threw the pieces down in the dirt. She stomped them into the ground with her sneakers for affect. It symbolized her anger towards her mother and her dead beat father. She cursed them for robbing her of a life growing up with family like Julian or Jocelyn. It just wasn't fair.

She stood up and continued walking. She didnt know where she was going or what she would do next, but she continued walking. One foot in front of the other.

**I see Eliot as a sort of 'Samantha Walker' figure. Very sarcastic, yet emotional at times. She doesnt want to be a burden but she is desperate to find a family. She's had a harsh life even with her mother in her life. Her mom was obviously not fit to be a parent or anyone's role model. Hope you like her! Since i'm not a doctor, I have no idea how to write about the babies' time in the hospital NICU but i'll try my best. **

**~ Haley**


	29. Chapter 29

**Enjoy.**

Chapter 29

It has been two, almost three days since Eli had gone missing. Jocelyn, Mark and Julian had been searching for her every chance they got. They even sat down with their brother Jason, and he and his fiancé Sidney had started searching too. They checked local homeless shelters, foster care agencies, and public parks, but no one had heard of her.

Today Brooke was being released from the hospital and they kids were excited to get their mommy back. Julian and Brooke had to explain to them that the babies were not well enough to go home yet, but the kids still didn't understand. Brooke was very broken up about leaving her babies, but she knew she had no choice. They needed to be in the care of professionals while they fought to get bigger and stronger.

Brooke entered the house with Julian by her side. He was holding her by the arm and also had a protective arm at the small of her back. A huge 'WELCOME HOME MOMMY!' sign hung off the fireplace mantle. Jocelyn was sitting on the couch with little Brianna and Tristan and the girls ran to greet their mom.

"Brooke! Hi!" Jocelyn stood.

"Welcome home Momma!" They girls screeched and threw their arms around Brooke's legs and waist. Brooke winced in pain; her incision from her C-section was healing very slowly. Julian saw her face and scolded the girls.

"Whoa whoa, girls! Mommy is sore and you can't hurt her like that…"

"It's okay, Julian. It's not their fault, they didn't know."

"Momma, do you want to see the babies' room?!" Nolan asked eagerly.

"Oh course I do! I'm so excited to see what you guys did!"

"Daddy let us help! And Aunt Peyton too!" Jordan exclaimed.

"Peyton?" Brooke looked curiously at her husband who was giving a look to Jordan.

"Oops, did I spill the beans?" Jordan asked as she giggled.

.

Brooke closed her eyes, per the girls' insistence, and Julian opened the door to the new nursery.

"Open up Mommy!"

Brooke opened her eyes to the most gorgeous room she had ever seen. One sea green, one baby blue, and one light pink crib were placed against the far, large, light yellow wall. Above each crib were the names Jeremy, Bentley, and Sienna in their respective colors. On the next wall was a big comfy rocking chair and the most elegant wall mural she had ever seen. The wall was covered with trees and flowers and all the Winnie the Pooh characters. (She knew it must have killed Peyton to paint something so happy=P.) They looked so real. Then on the third wall, Brooke saw the most precious thing of all. Above the changing table and dressers was a painting of a white stork with three bundles, two blue and one pink. Somehow, each of the children's hand prints was displayed on the wall next to the stork in purple paint, each in a separate white picture frame. Under each were their names: Nolan, Jordan, Tristan, Jeremy, Bentley, and Sienna, all in birth order. The title above this work of art read: _The Baker's Half Dozen_.

"You did all this?"

"This was mostly Peyton. I couldn't have done this without her…"

"This is what she came home for? Wow. I love it…" Brooke cried. "I just wish they were here to see it…"

"Brooke…"

"I know, I know. We knew the babies would have to stay longer, I just didn't know it would hurt this much."

"No cry Mommy." Tristan grabbed at Brooke's sweatpants and she rubbed her fingers through his beautiful hair.

Julian now held Jordan in his arms and she leaned over to wipe Brooke's tears.

"The babies will be okay Mommy."

"Yeah…I just know it." Nolan added.

"Thanks guys. I love you."

"Okay guys, go out and see what Aunty Jocelyn's doing. Mommy needs some rest."

"No naptime!"

"Not you, Tristan. It's Mommy's turn, crazy." Julian ushered the kids out of sight.

"Any word about Eli?" Brooke asked.

"No. But don't you worry about that. You need rest."

After Julian had taken Brooke across the hall and tucked her into bed, he rejoined the kids and Jocelyn in the family room.

He fixed the kids Mac-And-Cheese and talked with Jocelyn.

"I spoke with Jason today." Jocelyn stated. "He talked to Dad. He said he wanted to bring up Eli, but he didn't get the chance. I guess Dad freaked out about some lawyer contacting him and hung up when he got another call."

"Do you think the lawyer was about Eli?"

"I don't have any clue."

"And Jason's been out looking for her even more today. He seems really bent out of shape about the whole thing. He must be wierded out that he's not the baby of the family anymore."

"He deserves to be wierded out. I am too. Its unbelievable to think that we were like ten when she was born. Jason was only eight or so."

;

Following dinner, Jocelyn left while Brooke was still sleeping. Nolan and Jordan were in their room 'practicing' with their baby dolls for the real thing so they could eventually help with thr triplets when they came home. Tristan and Julian were playing with Legos, when suddenly Tristan was on top of him. They wrestled like the adorable father-son pair they are. When it turned into a tickle fight, Tristan ran away laughing while Julian chased him. Tristan raced around the house and out onto the enclosed back porch. Julian laughed and chased his out there but stopped short with the sight he saw next.

"Okay, okay buddy. Go back inside and see what your sisters are doing."

Tristan bolted away, still not wanting to be tickled, and left Julian alone on the porch. Just outside the porch, sleeping against the house, was Eli. She was babrely covered by her duffle bag and her hood was up over her head. Julian approached the girl gently and called her name.

"Eli? ELIOT!"

The girl startled awake and turned to her brother.

"What are you doing out here?"

Eli stood quickly and began backing away.

"I'm sorry. I just, I didn't know where else to go. I'm sorry" she cried.

"Hey hey, hey. You don't need to be sorry. We were worried about you, okay."

Before she could say anything, Eli collapsed to her knees. Julian caught her before she hit her head.

"Whoa, Eli. Are you okay? Can you hear me?"

"Yeah…just…dizzy."

"When's the last time you ate anything?"

"I don't know…my stomach hurts."

"Okay, let's go." Julian scooped her small form up in his arms and carried her back into the house.

"Daddy?? Who's that?" Nolan and Jordan were confused.

"Girls, just help me and go get me some blankets, okay?"

The girls did as they were told and Julian grabbed some crackers and a water bottle from the kitchen. He knelt down in front of her on the couch.

"Eat these…Drink…I'll get you something more substantial once you're settled."

"Thank you."

"Julian?" Brooke stood outside her door, totally confused by the sight she saw.

"Umm. Brooke. This is Eli. She was sleeping outside and…" Before he could say anything else, Brooke was by his side.

"Eli, hi. We were worried about you…"

"I'm sorry. I'm not worth the worry, please, tell Julian to stop fawning over me."

"She's dizzy and almost fainted outside."

"Oh goodness." Brooke placed her hand on Eli's forehead before she had a chance to pull away.

"She must be dehydrated."

"No, really, I'm okay."

"Then why were you sleeping outside out house?" Julian asked calmly.

Eli placed her hands over her eyes, something Julian did often.

"I just…I don't have anywhere else to go."

"Don't worry" Brooke started, "You're staying right here with us."

Once Eliot was feeling a bit better and had ate something, she asked if she could just go to bed. Brulian set her up in the guest room and she was fast asleep within minutes.

The phone rang around eleven thirty when Brulian were just about to fall asleep. It had been a rough night because Tristan refused to go to bed again.

"Hello? .....What?" Julian hung up the phone and bolted out of bed.

"We need to get to the hospital."

**Review Please!**

**~Haley**


	30. Chapter 30

PLEASE VOTE FOR ONE TREE HILL TO BE SAVED! REFRESH AND VOTE MANY MANY TIMES 333  
SOME HAVE SAID THEY VOTED 450 TIMES FOR OTHER SHOWS! WE MUST SAVE OURS!  
LAST WEEKEND TO VOTE. WINNER ANNOUNCED MONDAY!

EONLINE  
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Chapter 30

Brooke held her son Bentley in her arms and rocked him slowly. She had just been able to feed him from one of the bottles of breast milk she had pumped earlier and was feeling hopeful that he was getting stronger everyday. Sienna was continuing to thrive and was not even in the NICU anymore, just the regular nursery. Jeremy on the other hand, the oldest yet sickest of the triplets, was having setbacks. That was the call they got in the middle of the night. His heart rate had plummitted that night and the nurses were not sure if he would make it through the night. His liver was continuing to deteriorate and they didnt know how much time he had left.

Brooke had yet to hold him ever in his life and he was three weeks old now. She couldn't get the horrifying words of the pediatric specialist out of her head:

"Your son Jeremy may have severe brain damage due to the lack of oxygen his brain is receiving. His liver and kidneys are barely working.  
The medications don't seem to be working. If things do not improve soon, I'm sorry to say this, but you may have to consider letting him go.  
He may be better off…"

Letting him go! What the hell did that mean!

But he did make it through the night. Brooke wanted him to prove the hospital staff totally wrong, and he was starting to do just that. She wanted Jeremy to make them all look like idiots for ever doubting the Davis-Baker strength that coursed through his tiny veins.

There was no way that Brooke was going to give up on her son, but she was self-destructing inside just thinking about Jeremy.

Was he feeling pain? Did he know she was there? Did he think she didn't love him as much because she didn't hold him?

The worse question of all that swam through her mind each minute was this: Was it her fault?

On top of this, the last week and a half have been absolutely crazy for the Bakers. Eli was now living at the house and they had discovered that she snuck out of her group home and hitch-hiked all the way from Wilmington to Tree Hill, a pretty long haul on foot. She was getting along nicely with her new-found extended family, but was very closed off about her past. Julian had arranged with her social worker that she would stay with them for the time being, but their guardianship would be reviewed in the future. Eli liked the attention she got from the Bakers, but also loved the privacy of her own room even more. She had never had her own room before. The girls took a liking to her immediately and copied her every move, especially Nolan, who was just getting to that age where _everything _has to be cool. The one thing they didn't quite understand was why they never knew their 'aunt' before now.

Brooke and Julian came to find that Eli was fourteen years old and a freshman in high school. It had been determined that she would start Tree Hill High as a sophomore in the fall since she was now living with the Bakers. Eliot seemed so tall and mature for her age, but a bad home life can do that to a kid. Julian also remembered his sister being very tall at that age too.

Julian watched his wife toil with the thoughts in her head from the other side of the NICU. Julian knew Brooke was having such a hard time dealing with everything. He didn't blame her one bit. It was scary watching their sons struggle, especially so early in life. But Brooke and Julian were helpless and had no way to make things better for them. Instead of confronting the issues and emotions she felt, Julian had to watch as Brooke bottled her emotions inside. He knew she wouldn't last too much longer. Instead of facing Jeremy in his fragile, sick state, Brooke preferred not to. It wasn't that she didn't love him or gave up on him, but her heart broke every time she saw him, with his breathing tubes and wires and monitors.

But today was actually turning out to be a good day. The nurse had just informed them that Sienna would be discharged TODAY and that Bentley was being moved from the NICU to the regular nursery in the coming week if he continued getting bigger and stronger. The girls and Tristan were ecstatic to get one of the babies home, especially the girl, since they were over-the-moon that one of the babies was female. Brooke had picked out the cutest purple onesie with yellow and pink dots on it. In blue writing across the front it said 'Wrapped around Daddy's Little Finger'. Brooke made matching purple booties and a COB hat as accessories.

"Brooke?..." Julian woke Brooke out of her daydream. "Are you ready to go?"

Brooke's head nodded slowly. She knew she had to leave the boys at the hospital while their sister got to go home. She was nervous that, with one baby home, she wouldn't be able to visit Bentley and Jeremy enough but she hoped they wouldn't mind.

Brooke kissed Bentley's chubby cheeks and placed him back in his bassinette. She covered him with the custom baby blue blanket that had his name on it and rubbed his belly as a goodbye.

"Mommy and Daddy love you Benny."

Julian had also done the same with Jeremy's blanket. But since JJ was enclosed in the incubator, Julian could not lean in to kiss his son. Brooke walked up behind Julian and grabbed his hand through the hole, the hand that was caressing Jeremy's tiny one.

"Mommy and Daddy will see you soon Littliest One. Get big and strong while we're gone." Julian whispered so only Brooke and Jeremy could hear him. Brooke's eyes filled with tears and she said her soft goodbye. "Mommy loves you."

Julian turned to face Brooke and she immediately buried her face in his neck.

"Ssshhhhh…it's okay….it's okay. We're all going to get through this Brooke. You'll see..."

"Yeah?"

"Of course. Now let's bring our little girl home."

;

"A baby's home! The baby's home!"

Jordan and Nolan ran to the car as soon as it pulled in the driveway while Tristan didn't even react. Peyton was watching the kids for the day before she headed to the airport. Sawyer had gotten sick back home so Lucas never got on the flight to come to NC.

It was a pretty nice day out in June and so they were all outside. Jocelyn had decided to spend a day alone with Eli and so they were out to lunch and shopping.

Jordan pressed her face against the backseat door's window and peered in at her sister. While Brooke got out on the other side, Julian opened the door and unlatched the car seat with ease. He turned it to face Jordan.

"She's so pretty." Jordan was in awe.

"I think she looks chubbier than she did in the hospital." Nolan observed.

"That's because she is, Nole. She's gained some weight and is beautiful and healthier now."

They all piled into the house to see the baby.

"Who 'dis?"

"It's your baby sister, Tristan. Don't you remember her from when you saw her at the hospital?"

"Ohh…" was his only response. Other than that he continued playing with his toys. He wasn't that interested.

"Show her the nursery Mommy!" Jordan exclaimed.

"Okay, okay honey. Calm down." Julian smiled at the fact that Jordan was so over-the-top excited. He just hoped that feeling would last.

"Here it is Sienna. Do you see your crib? And your name is right here…"

Julian and Brooke 'showed' baby Sienna around her room, telling her what everything was and where everything went. They really just did this to entertain her older siblings, but they thought it would be a nice memory for themselves as well.

The rest of the day consisted of visits from family, the girls feeding and changing Sienna for the first time, Sienna crying and consequently Tristan crying, Eli coming home and retreating quickly to her room, and Sienna going down to sleep for a little bit while they all ate dinner together.

.

It was now around 3 AM but Sienna thought it was the middle of the afternoon apparently.

"Shhhhh. Baby girl. Mommy needs sleep and Daddy says it's my turn… Shhh."

Brooke held and bounced her for 45 minutes before she settled down again. She tried breast feeding but it turned out to be an epic fail. She was all about done with trying at this point; it was much harder and more painful than she thought. Brooke guessed that Sienna liked the hospital better than her new room. When she snuck out quietly, Brooke jumped when she saw a figure sitting on the couch in the living room.

It was Eli. Brooke saw her bending over like she was in pain but she quickly shot up when she heard Brooke.

"I'm sorry…"

"No, honey it's fine. Did the baby wake you?"

"Umm…well I didn't really get to sleep yet, so no. I just came out to get a water." She held up the bottle for Brooke to see.

"Are you okay?" Brooke sat down next to Eli and put a comforting hand on her knee.

"Yeah…umm" Eli tensed up and pulled away from Brooke. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure? 'Cause…if you need someone to talk to…I can listen while I get us some ice cream…" Brooke smiled, trying to lighten the mood.

"I think you have enough to deal with."

"No, no. You're family. I will always have time for you."

"It's okay. I'm not really hungry…Goodnight."

Eli quickly retreated from the couch and down the hall, out of sight. Brooke sighed. She had a feeling Eli was hiding something, but was not sure on how to go about finding out what it was. She didn't want to overstep her boundaries as a cool 'sister-in-law' but she was still her guardian, sort of.

But there was nothing Brooke could do right this second.

Brooke retreated to her bed and threw her arms around the man of her dreams, the father of her biological and adopted children, her savior and protector. She had to take advantage of the hour or so of sleep before someone was bound and determined to tear sleep away from her once again.

Brooke fell asleep almost immediately that night.

**.**

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**~Haley :]**


	31. Chapter 31

**so glad u guys like fast updates. im having an easy time writing this section but after this settles down im kinda getting writers block lol. **  
**help by sending me your ideas in a message from my main homepage. then i can see it in my inbox :] thanks.**

**Let me know that you're reading!**

Chapter 31

Eli heard baby Sienna's cry radiate through the walls of the house. She had not slept at all last night. She had this horrible back pain for some reason and was feeling a little nauseous. Therefore, she had heard this chain reaction many times:

Baby cries for a minute, Julian/Brooke run to the nursery to try to quiet the baby quickly, the baby cries more, one of the other kids wakes up and yells, the other spouse gets up and runs to the older child, Brooke and Julian quiet everyone after some time, and they find their way back to their room.

The cycle was crazy and repeated about every other hour, but Eli thought they handled it well. She had been in some crazy places in her life, but oddly enough, even with six children, Brooke and Julian's house was her most stable home. She knew she could count on Brooke or Julian or Jocelyn or anyone in her new family to help her; they had made that crystal clear. But she hadn't decided to take them up on their offers. She didn't know why, but something about this screamed 'too good to be true'. She was waiting for the other shoe to drop before she was kicked to the curb. That seemed to be her life so far.

It was hard to believe that these kids in this house were her nieces and nephews. She thought it was weird that her 'family' had this whole life before where they didn't even know she existed.

It was 9 AM when Eli heard a knock on her door. She had heard everyone get up hours ago and shuffle throughout the house, eating breakfast, then running around playing like little kids do. She chose not to enter the real world outside her door. She didn't want to intrude.

Knock. Knock. "Eli you awake?"

"Yeah…come in."

Julian opened the door.

"Oh good. You're up. Our brother Jason is on the phone. He wants to know if you wanted to spend the day with him. You know, it's a chance to get away from this madness."

"Oh okay."

"Okay then. I'll tell him. When will you be ready?"

"Like 30 minutes?"

"Okay. Come on out when you can. I make great breakfasts." Julian smiled and so did Eli. It was so easy to be around him. She just hoped it wasn't the opposite with her other brother. She didn't want an awkward day.

When she emerged from her room, she was bombarded by little bodies all around her.

"Eli, watch this!" Jordan got her attention first as she skidded across the hardwood floors in her fuzzy socks.

"I like your jeans…" Eli had noticed that Nolan was always complementing her style. She thought it was cute.

"Thanks." Eli made her way into the kitchen.

" 'Lie...you s'weep a wot!" Tristan observed. Only Eli knew that was far from the truth.

"She's a teenager, T. They love their sleep."

"No nap!" Eli laughed.

Unlike Tristan, she would give anything right now to sleep during the day, or at night for that matter. Tristan and Jordan retreated to their rooms and left Julian, Brooke, and Eli alone.

"So I hear you're going to spend the day with Jason. I think that's great!"

"You do? I just…I've only met him once."

"Yeah, but you have to give him a chance. Who knows, you may like him more than Julian."

"Not likely!" Julian piped in.

Their laughing was interrupted by the doorbell. Julian ran to open it as Eli stood from her kitchen stool.

"Hey little brother!" Julian greeted Jason. His greeting was happy but that changed very quickly. Standing behind Jason was his long-absent father, Paul Norris.

"Son."

"Dad… What are you doing here?"

"I hear you are housing something that claims to belongs to me…I'm here to set the record straight. Since she is pulling one over on you. Her mother was a pathological liar fifteen years ago and it looks like she got her mother's insanity."

Julian's head whipped around as he watched Paul burn a hole with his eyes into the young girl who stood behind him. Julian could tell she was terrified. This was NOT how this was supposed to go.

Before any other words could be said, Eli turned and ran in the other direction . She ran out the back door. Brooke ran after her.

"Eliot!"

The three Baker men stood in the living room in silence until Brooke returned.

"She's gone…"

Julian turned to Jason. "Are you happy now!? I named my SON after you and this is the thanks I get! Look what you did!"

Paul interrupted. "He didn't do anything but inform me that you were hiding this from me!"

"HIDING her! Is that what you think I was doing!? NO. I was giving her a place to live where she would be cared for instead of feeding her to the wolf named Paul! She was getting up the courage to come to you herself and I was giving her that time. I can't believe you are denying that she is yours. I've seen her birth certificate, Dad. Now take some responsibility! You know, like you made _me _do ten years ago!"

"This is outrageous! How can you ever believe this girl? She is NOT my child! I told her mother a long time ago that I wasn't the father. Maybe i made _positively _sure that the paternity test came back negative, but that doesnt mean i have any ties to her. "

"You rigged a paternity test! Typical Paul Norris. So ALL along you knew she was yours and never claimed her. You should have protected her from the crap she's had to go through. You are such a hypocrite!"

"I owe her nothing! YOU owe her nothing!"

Julian was fuming. "Get out of my house! NOW!"

Paul and Jason turned to leave.

"This is not over son; she is using your blind stupidity to pull one over on you. Well that will not happen to me."

Then they were gone.

Julian rubbed his eyes with his hands. He suddenly had the worst headache.

"Julian, what are we going to do?" Brooke rubbed his arm. She knew he was upset.

"I have to find her. I know what it's like to be rejected by our father. And it sucks the life out of you."

"She'll turn up, Julian. She did the last time."

"No. It's different this time. She's going to run…That's what Bakers do."

;;

Brooke watched her husband toss and turn in his sleep. She had convinced him to stop looking for Eli at eight P.M. tonight. He had looked for her all day while she visited Bentley and Jeremy. Since he had come home, he had been having nightmares in his sleep. She knew seeing his father again tore him apart, even if he wouldn't admit that. She rubbed his light brown curls softly.

"Shhhh. It's okay honey. Sshhhhhhhh."

He awoke with a startle, scaring both Brooke and himself. He breathed heavily and tried to calm himself down.

"I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" He whispered.

"No, honey. It's okay. I was up with Sienna anyways."

Julian took a deep breath.

"I thought I found her at the park down on Park Street. The girl had the same hair and build but it wasn't her. I was ready to tell her that I didn't care what Paul said and that I wouldn't let her down. But…"

"She'll be okay, Julian. Just give her time…to process. Her worst fears came true. Her father denied and rejected her outright in front of us. We both know that feeling. She needs time."

"I'm just afraid she'll think we feel the same way. She already thinks she's a burden to us."

Brooke didn't know what to do for him.

"She's seen how much you care. There's no denying that."

Brooke leaned over and kissed her troubled husband. Baby Sienna began to cry just then.

"I'll get her."

Julian padded his way across the hall and picked up his fussy daughter. He changed her diaper and walked around the house with her, trying to lull her back to sleep. He stopped at Tristan's room and Nolan and Jordan's room. They were all sound asleep. When he came down to the guest room, he opened the door slightly, praying for a miracle.

He thought he was seeing things, but it was real. Eliot was sleeping on the bed, on top of all the sheets, with her knees tucked under her. Her arms draped her stomach like she was holding it or something and he assumed she was cold. The window was open and he assumed she had come in through there. Julian quietly closed the window and carefully placed a blanket over her with one hand. He was so glad she came back. Sienna began to fuss again.

"Sshhh, little one. You're auntie is sleeping…"

**.**

**crazy things to come! **

**~Haley**


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

"The bus is here!" Jordan screeched as she kept watch out the window.

"Bye Momma! I love you!" Nolan grabbed the lunch boxes off the counter and the girls were on their way out.

"Wait! Kisses!" Brooke was such a mom that way. She always wanted to be sure to say a proper goodbye to the girls to tell them she loved them.

The girls turned around slowly and Nolan rolled her eyes like a typical preteen. Brooke didn't care though. She threw her arms around both girls at once and kissed their hair.

"I love you."

When Brooke let them go, they ran out the screen door and to the waiting bus.

Julian and Brooke waited for Eliot to come out of her room. It was the kids' last week of school and they were eager to be on vacation. But for now, the girls were off the school and Tristan was just dropped off with Nathan and his boys. Julian and Brooke wanted to have a serious talk with Eli about the future.

"Do you think I should check on her?" Julian asked.

"Let her come to us, Jay. It's only ten. She's probably still sleeping."

"Well…I still want to check…maybe she doesnt know that we know she came back last night."

Brooke ran but didn't beat Julian to Eli's door. He knocked firmly on the wood.

"Eli? You awake?"

After no response, he pushed it open slightly. Brooke rolled her eyes; he was so protective. Eliot was not visible on the bed and he started to panic that she left again. Then he saw her: Eli was passed out on the floor next to her still-packed duffle bag. It looked like she had vomited and then passed out.

"Eliot!" "Oh my god!" Julian and Brooke rushed to her side and turned her on her back.

He tapped her face to try to wake her up and Brooke put her hand against her neck, checking for her pulse. Julian pulled out his cell and called 911.

"Julian!"

He turned back to Brooke and he saw what Brooke was freaking out about. Eli's light blue Soffe shorts and part of the carpet were stained with blood.

"Is that? Oh god! Where is that coming from?"

;;

Now all he could do was wait. Julian had no idea how things had led to this. One minute he was going over in his head how he would do anything to get Eliot to stay with them permanently, and the next, he didn't know if she was even alive. Brooke sat beside him in the waiting room of the ER, holding his hand. She was also very scared for Eliot. She didn't have any clue what was going on either. Brooke knew that that much blood couldnt be normal for just a heavy period. They had heard the EMT's talking about a possible air lift to a major state hospital but they hadnt heard any talk about that after they arrived at Tree Hill Me.

"Are you here for Eliot Norris?" The tall male doctor stood before them.

"Yes…is she okay?"

"Please come with me." Uh-oh. No straight answer: that couldn't be good.

The doctor led Brooke and Julian with Sienna's baby carrier into a conference room not far behind the white doors where Eli was rushed through earlier by the EMT's. He motioned for them to sit down before he told them anything.

"Where's Eli?"

"My name is Dr. Blake Dover and I just left Eliot a minute ago. She's awake but groggy and is doing better now. We started her on blood clotting meds to stop the vaginal bleeding but we need to find the source of the problem."

"There was a lot of blood. Is she going to be okay? What is causing this?" Julian spat out all his questions at once.

"Nothing is confirmed yet. We had to hang some blood since Eliot lost so much before she got here. I would like to run some tests and get our resident gynecologic oncologist down here to examine her. She's the best in NC."

Now Brooke spoke up. "Wait…gynecologist? Oncology? But...but she's only fourteen."

"I'm sorry to alarm you but Eliot is having symptoms synonymous with cancers affecting her abdominal or reproductive organs. But of course I am only being extra cautious. I want to get her checked and perhaps diagnosed as soon as possible. I know she is very young but this is not unheard of."

"I can't believe this." Julian shot out of his chair. He was freaking out and there was nothing he could do. "How is this possible? She is so young!"

"It'll be okay, Julian. Can we see her?" Julian was amazed how Brooke always conducted herself with poise in the most horrifying of situations.

"Let me take you to her."

;

When Brulian entered the hospital cubicle Eli turned her head to see them. She was lying down in an ugly hospital gown with her eyes half-closed, an IV stuck in her arm, and she was pale as a ghost. She was just as freaked out as them. She didnt remember fainting at home; she remembered waking up and having stomach pain. Then before she knew it, she was waking up in the hospital with doctors surrounding her. The thing she was most concerned with was why she was practically exposed to the room through a thin paper gown and who the hell had taken her clothes off. A few nurses were required to help her calm down and they explained what they knew. Now she was just embarassed to be wearing an adult diaper to sop up the blood, blood which made her sick to think about.

Julian just smiled sympathetically and let Brooke do all the talking since he had no idea what words would comfort her now. Brooke handed him Sienna's carrier and walked over to the bed.

"Honey…How are you feeling?" Eli shrugged. "Eli, why didn't you tell us you were having nausea and pain? You can always trust us to help you, okay?"

"I'm sorry…"

"Oh honey, you're going to be okay." Brooke sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I didn't know it was that serious……how sick am I? Where the hell is this blood coming from?"

Brooke turned her head toward Julian then back to Eliot.

"The doctors want to run some tests to see what's going on."

"Great…"

"But we are going to be here every step of the way."

"Thanks Brooke…You too big brother." Eli sat up and made eye contact with Julian, who cowered by the door. She tried to make Julian smile since she sensed his fear.

Just then they were interrupted by Dr. Dover and a new female doctor.

"Hi Eliot. This is Dr. Olivia Broderick, she's going to take over your case for now."

This doctor extended a hand to Eli. "Hello. You can call me Brody if you want. A lot of people do."

"Okay... I'm Eliot, but most call me Eli."

"Very nice to meet you." The two smiled.

"Okay so I am here now to discuss the plan for today, but I figured it could just be us girls for a while."

Julian took the much desired out while he could. He didn't need to be asked twice. "I'll go get you something for dinner."

Next thing anyone knew, he had taken Sienna and bolted out the door.

Brooke also stood to leave. "No wait…Brooke. Uhh. I kinda want you to stay. Well. If you want to. I..."

Brooke smiled and took her seat again.

"Now I've talked to the ER doctors and we all have the same concerns, Eli."

Brooke liked how Dr. Brody talked directly to Eli and treated her like an adult, since this was very grown-up stuff they were dealing with.

"Now I'd like to ask you about the symptoms you've been having and give you an exam if that's alright with you."

"Umm…I guess so."

"Okay. Let's get started, shall we. What happened when you fainted this morning?"

"My back was hurting when I woke up so I was going to go get Advil or something. I stood up, felt dizzy and nauseous and threw up. Then i had...it was like this crazy bad stomach pain and that's all I remember till I woke up here."

Dr. Brody took this time to palpate Eli's lower stomach while she talked.

"Have you had that kind of pain before?"

"OW! Uhh…it's never been this bad. But the back pain I've had for a while now. Since before I started living with Julian and Brooke."

"Now I know you are young for me to be asking you this, but you seem like a very mature kid, so I want to be able to treat you like an adult."

Eliot nodded so Dr. Brody continued.

"I need to know if you have ever had sex or have had any sexually transmitted diseases."

'Wow. That's a doosie' Brooke thought. She was pretty shocked that that would be question for a fourteen year old, but then she recalled her own teen years.

Eli shook her head fiercely. Almost too quickly. Brooke internally breathed a sigh of relief: one less thing to deal with now... or was it?

"Are you positive?"

Eli didnt answer; she just looked down. That scared Brooke.

"Am I pregnant?" Eliot asked.

"Is there even a possibility!?" Brooke was shocked; she never expected this. One more thing to add to the Bakers' crazy _E! True Hollywood Story_.

"No. You are not pregnant; the blood tests confirmed that. But I need to know about your sexual activity so we can find out more about what's going on with you."

"I've had sex but...a while ago."

"Can you give me any dates?"

"I'm not sure. It was only the one time. Like ten weeks ago."

"Was sex forced on you in any way?"

"What! No! ...umm, i had just found out i was getting transfered to a new place. I liked my old foster home before the group home but they didn't like that there were some other teenage boys living there too. So before I left, we had a little unauthorized party and... well you know what happened."

Dr. Brody decided to continue on with other questions.

"Have you gotten your period?"

"For the first time last summer. Right before my mom died. She said it was a 'right of passage' that she was glad she got to share with me…whatever that means."

"And the last time you got it?"

"I don't remember exactly. I don't get it that regularly. But like three weeks ago i had a pretty light one. Just spotting for like a day. I hoped it was a period but it might have been too little to actually be one."

"Okay then, Eli. I want to get you transported to a room upstairs now. Then I need to give you an internal physical exam. I want to see where that bleeding was coming from. Do you know what a vaginal exam entails?"

Eli's eyes widened and her face began to display a look of horror that Brooke recognized. She remembered her first pelvic exam, except she kind of had a little notice before hand.

"What?! I don't want to."

"I'm sorry, Eli, but it's the only way to clearly see what's going on right now. It may seem scary, but you have nothing to worry about."

Eliot looked down. The embarrassment alone would kill her, never mind the disease itself, or whatever this was.

Brooke grabbed her hand. "Hey…look at me…I'll be right here if that's where you want me."

"I just want to leave this place….please take me out of here Brooke, anywhere but here!"

"You can't hide from this Eliot. You are very brave, I know you are. You can do this. It's not that bad…I've had enough in my day…especially when I was pregnant."

Brooke tried to lighten the mood and reassure Eli as best she could.

"See you upstairs in a few and we can begin." Dr. Broderick left and soon a nurse came in for transport to a real room.

.

"Take a deep breath Eliot, you are doing great. Almost done."

For the past fourteen minutes Eli has wished for hell. Anything but this. Brooke sat beside her head at the top of the exam table pretending this wasn't happening too. Dr. Brody now had her weird instruments and hands inside Eliot and she was freaking out. Dr. Brody had taken samples of gross things, pressed, poked, and prodded Eli's once-private pelvis. She even had to have a few stitches someplace! This felt like _forever_, yet was only sixteen minutes, eleven seconds and counting. Eli would know, she had watching the seconds hand on the clock as it ticked around. She never thought her pain was abnormal, but since she had just cried against Brooke's arm when Dr. Brody pressed on her lower stomach, she guessed now that it was. Dr. Brody explained each step of the examination to her in horrifying detail, enough that she was confident now that she would be scarred for life with the mental images. She needed this to stop.

"Okay, Eli. All done. You get some rest and I will let you know when I get some results from the lab, probably in the morning." Dr. Brody left Brooke and Eliot alone.

Brooke smiled. "You did great honey. You're a trooper."

"I just really want to sleep." Eli wouldn't look at Brooke.

"Okay."

With that, Eli turned on her side and waited for Brooke to get the hint and leave the room before she broke down in tears.

;

Brooke called out to Dr. Brody as she left the room.

"Is she going to be okay?"

"Well we wont know until the test results, but it's good that you brought her in. She may have bled out without medical attention."

Dr. Brody walked away as Brooke realized what ths meant.

Eliot was in real danger, and if she had really ran away last night, she would have been dead on the street somewhere. Brooke was so thankful that she was getting medical treatment. Julian would have never forgiven himself for not stopping her from running.

**What do you think? That was the longest chapter yet lol. I know there was not enough of the kids in this one but i'll do my best to get them in more. **

**COMMENTS PLEASE!!!**

**~Haley **


	33. Chapter 33

**VOTE FOR OTH in the USA today "save one show" campaign. keep sending emails to the CW about Season 8! Thanks!**

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**Chapter 33**

**;**

Brooke left the room to go find Julian. She knew she needed space right now. She found Julian sitting in the waiting room with his head in his hands. "Honey…"

"Hey!" He stood immediately. "How is she? What happened?"

"They…uh…she had a pelvic exam and they are going to let us know the results tomorrow. They want to keep her here overnight to monitor everything."

Julian's face cringed. "Isn't she too young to have one of those?"

"Apparently not. But she was very brave."

"Good. Do you think I could go back in there?"

"I'd give her some time babe."

;

Eli woke up to the worst stomach pain yet. She searched the dark room for a nurse call button or Brooke but only found Julian hunched over in a chair sleeping. Brooke was nowhere in the room.

"Brooke!" Eli screamed. Julian woke up suddenly. "Hey, hey…what's wrong?"

"I need Brooke….uhhhh ahh."

"She's not here; she went home to relieve the babysitter for the night. What can I do?!"

"It hurts…" Eli held her stomach with both arms.

"Okay, okay…I'll be right back."

"NO! Don't leave me please…"

Julian rubbed Eli's arm and held her while she cried. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I'm sorry…for all this…you didn't sign on for this…"

"This is not your fault. And don't you worry about being a burden. Brooke and I talked it over before you got sick and we don't want you running off anymore. We don't care what my father says; you're my baby sister and deserve to have a stable home. And that home is right here with us."

;

That same morning as Brooke approached the hospital room, after leaving the four kids with Jocelyn, Brianna and Mark, she saw through the window Julian holding Eli's hand. She was glad that the awkwardness of the situation did not affect their relationship too much. Even though the female aspect of his baby sister's body was grossing him out, Julian would never abandon her when she needed him. He had lost too much time already in the last fourteen years, he wouldn't let anything waste more time.

Before she entered, a voice stopped her.

"Mrs. Norris?" Dr. Brody approached.

"Umm…it's Baker, Mrs. Baker actually."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have assumed."

"No that's okay. Eli is my sister-in-law, but we are her guardians."

"Oh wow. That is very generous of you. You were great with her yesterday."

"Thank you…Do you have the results yet? Do you know what we're dealing with?"

"Let's talk in here…"

Dr. Brody led Brooke into the unoccupied hospital room next to Eli's and the sat down on the empty bed.

"The tests from yesterday show no cervical cancer but I still need to determine the cause of her pain. I would like to perform an ultrasound and a PET/CT scan to detect possible masses near her ovaries or uterus. In my medical opinion, based on when I talked with Eliot and did her exam, I believe that is where we will find our problem."

"So…now?"

"I think that would be best. I will go get the ultrasound machine and after that I'll take her upstairs for the scans."

;

"Now I'm going to lift the gown up to your chest and put this other sheet on top of your underwear so you feel more comfortable."

Now only Eli's flat lower abdomen was visible as Dr. Brody waved the wand over it. Brooke could tell Eli still felt some pain at this gentle touch by the look on her face and the grip Eli held on her hand.

"Okay, Eli…this here…" Dr. Brody pointed to small circles on the screen. "This is what is causing your pain, most likely. They are masses on your left ovary and uterus. They may be benign but it will require a biopsy to confirm anything."

"Are you okay sweetie?" Brooke wiped a tear from Eli's cheek.

"I'm scared…is it gonna hurt?"

"I'll give you some local anesthesia but you will most likely feel a sharp pinch."

"Let's just get it over with…"

;

When the day was done, Eli had been put through a series of blood tests, the biopsy, a colonoscopy, and PET/CT scans to determine what was going on. She was comforted to have Brooke by her side through the procedures. Dr. Brody came back with the news to Brooke and Julian while Eli was resting.

Endodermal sinus tumor ovarian cancer was the diagnosis.

Dr. Brody explained that this was a rare type of tumor that develops in girls and young women. It is characterized by a rapid growth process and can spread quickly; Eli's had barely spread to a small part of her uterus, still characterizing it as Stage II. It was great that they caught it relatively early so her prognosis was much better than most. Surgery and then aggressive chemotherapy is the most effective treatment option for this type of germ cell tumor. Dr. Brody was hopeful that she could remove the cancer without harming Eli's chances of someday getting pregnant. Right now all Brulian cared about was getting her healthy; they would worry about infertility when she was older and healthy. Surgery was scheduled for the next weekend and Eli was informed of her diagnosis and treatment plan. She took it rather well since she knew in her gut all along that she was really sick. The doctors said the worst part was figuring out what was wrong with her and that she had at least an 85% chance of beating this within two years time. With Brooke and Julian at her side, Eliot was determined to do it in one.

The road ahead of the Bakers looked rugged and hard, but they would do the best they could to stay alive, literally and figuratively.

'

**There it is. Kinda short one i'm sorry. **

**Okay so, i know some think Eli is too much and i do feel that a bit too but i just wrote what my imaginations told me too lol. Eli's story is wrapping kinda fast but i didnt want to end up doing a whole story about cancer. I am reading some fanfics like that and,while others write them quite well, i wouldnt want to bore you with that. most of you wanna hear about the kids anyways. its just.. i had this idea and couldnt get it out of my head so i wrote it down. i wonder if all writers are like that. Its funny, lit was never my passion but i love writing this. :]] Its the only thing that gets me thru a haitus. **

**Dont be mad but I am going on vacation far away this week so i won't be updating until at least April 24 or 25. I think i ended you on a pretty good note here so far. No cliff hangers involved. Things will start to settle down for the family and i have such great brooke and julian moments somewhat written. **

**I also wanted you all to know that im planning on ending this story at 37 chapters and starting a sequel for the future of the Baker family once the craziness of the end of school, AP exams, and my graduation is over. That means it'll appear around the middle or end of May. Would love suggestions for story lines and new titles. What would you like to see? For Brulian? For their children? For Eli? And dont be mad but im just warning you now that the rest of the chapters wont be extremely long... :/ sorry**

**Thanks for being such great readers. Please leave me lots of messages to read when i return home. I would absolutely love and would be honored to hit 200 reviews and beyond by the end of the story!**

**Thanks to the most loyal of fan. You know who you are! :]]]**

**I _so _appreciate you! **

**You seriously don't understand how your comments motivate me to write quicker and better.  
**

**~Haley**


	34. Chapter 34

**Had a great vacation. Can't believe i'm home so soon. It feels like i never left!**  
**Well now you deserve a chapter for being extra patient :] ENJOY!**

**NEW ONE TREE HILL MONDAY!! OH THANK THE LORD!**

Chapter 34

Almost two weeks later Brooke and Julian entered the house with two extra people. Brooke carried Bentley into the house while Julian assisted a fragile Eliot in behind Brooke. Her surgery had been successful, they thought, but Dr. Brody was forced to remove her left ovary to get all the cancer tissue. Now Eli faced the daunting weeks ahead of chemo and radiation treatments but her prognosis was very good. For now, she would be able to live at home and commute to get treatments as long as her health wasn't in danger. They hoped she wouldn't be hospital bound and could live a relatively normal life, all things considering.

Bentley started fussing and Brooke bounced him against her chest. He had now caught up to his little sister weighing in at eight pounds. "I'm going to change his diaper."

"Hey little Bentley boy…Look at your room! Do you see the wall where Aunt Peyton painted your name? Hmm? Yes you do…you love it. And Mommy loves having you home to see it."

;

When Brooke was in the nursery, Julian got Eli situated on the couch watching her favorite movie, _Grease._ She really was related to Julian…

"Can you hold me?" Julian was in their master bedroom when Brooke entered.

"Yeah, honey. Come here."

Brooke made her way over to Julian and buried herself in his warm grasp. He could feel his shirt getting a little wet with her light tears. She was obviously overwhelmed and sad about still not having Jeremy home to complete the family. She wouldnt admit that though; Brooke always tried struggling with things on her own instead of sharing her feelings. Julian had to drag stuff out of her. She totally trusted him but still didnt want to seem weak. Julian decided just to hold her silently instead of bringing up anything specific today.

"We should go get the kids now" She said randomly.

They hated doing it, but Brooke and Julian were so overwhelmed lately that they had no choice but to get childcare for Tristan, Nolan, Jordan and even baby Sienna. Brooke and Julian weren't even working at all and they still didn't have enough hands or time to be in twelve places at once. Victoria had been happy to take over most all of the work at COB and Brooke had a new intern that she absolutely loved and trusted with anything. Julian gave up some productions and let his assistant business partners take over all of his duties for the time being. Julian even secretly hoped for an early, early retirement. Both were ashamed that they couldn't handle it all and hoped the kids wouldn't hate them. The family was priority now; they were trying extra hard to be good parents. They had learned that giving equal attention to each of the kids was a near impossible task. They had found a camp for the girls to go to during the weekdays where they made their own groups of friends at their grade level and Tristan spent most of his time with Nathan's boys or at daycare.

"Nathan offered to bring them home…he just texted me. They're on their way."

"Momma!" A high pitch scream came from somewhere in the house.

"Uh oh." Brooke and Julian sped into the living room where Nathan was holding a crying Tristan.

"Hi Mom, Hi Dad." The girls ignored the crying and greeted their parents. They sat down on the couch to watch the end of _Grease_ with Eli.

"Baby what happened?" Brooke asked, looking to Nathan to answer for a hysterical Tristan.

"He fell on the cement when he was running from the car. He was excited to see his favorite people." Nathan answered.

"Come here T honey."

Brooke took her son in her arms and held the back of his head to her shoulder. She walked to the sink in the kitchen, placed him so he was sitting on the counter, and began to tend to his scraped knees.

"Hey man." Julian greeted Nathan and took Sienna's baby carried from his arm. "Thanks so much for picking them up. You are a life saver."

"No problem. I know you have a lot on your plate right now. See you later." Nathan left.

"So what do you girls want for dinner?" Julian asked.

"Pizza!" Julian smiled because they were all in agreement for once. "Great. I'll order it."

;

"He's laughing at me!" Jordan and Nolan were lying on the carpet watching Bentley and Sienna squirm around on their backs. Julian sat beside them and showed the girls where to tickle the babies' bellies to get them to giggle. Brooke sat on the couch next to Eli with a clingy Tristan lying across her lap. She could tell he was exhausted but he tried to stay awake. He gripped her arm with his left hand while he sucked his right thumb. She rubbed his hair with her fingertips as he leaned against her chest.

"When does Jeremy get to come home?" Nolan asked suddenly.

Brooke looked to Julian to answer this one.

"We don't know honey…he's having more trouble than Ben and Sienna."

"Oh. I want him to come home so we can all be together as a family."

"Me too sweetie" Brooke added.

"Okay girls. I think it's time to get you PJs on."

"Aww Dad! We wanna stay up with the babies!"

"Well I guarantee you won't want to be up when they are crying in the middle of the night, so go please…"

Brooke laughed as the girls sauntered off to their room. She loved when Julian 'laid down the law' in the cute way he did it. Brooke turned to Eli.

"I think you should get to bed too missy.........Julian." Brooke motioned for him to help Eli get to her room since she was still very sore from her surgery.

"Don't forget your medications, Hun" Brooke reminded.

"I won't…goodnight."

Brooke shifted a drowsy Tristan onto the couch and knelt down to pick up her babies. She watched Sienna's legs kick and squirm around as Bentley's head drooped in his sleep. She somehow found a safe way to pick up both babies at once and carried them to the nursery. She was beginning to master this 'multiple infants at once' thing. When she came back for Tristan, he was in a grouchy mood because he was obviously overtired.

"I don't wanna go bed!" He shifted around in her arms and whined like his Daddy did when he was tired too. Brooke bounced him around, rubbed his back, shushed him, and even bribed him with candy. He was trying anything and everything to get him to relax. Julian emerged from the girls' room and saw that she needed help.

"Dada…no s'weepy!" Tristan reached out for Julian and ended up with his arms tied around Julian's neck while he still had his legs secured around Brooke's waist. It was a crazy display as they tried to unravel themselves.

"Daddy!" Tristan sobbed big tears. He needed sleep but fought for the time he had with both his parents these days.

"Shhhh. It's alright buddy. Mommy and Daddy are right here. Sshhh."

Brooke rubbed Tristan's back as she stood in front of Julian, who was now holding all of their son. She smiled at his red pajamas with the characters from his favorite movie _Cars_ all over them.

Brooke grabbed Julian's hand and led him to their bedroom. She figured it would be okay to have Tristan sleep in their bed just this once, since without this compromise, they would never get any sleep tonight.

Julian manipulated his and Tristan's bodies so they were lying down and tried to unlock Tristan's hands from around his neck. Once that feat had been accomplished, Julian somehow fell asleep immediately. Brooke was so jealous! He could fall asleep at the drop of the hat most days while she always got caught up in her thoughts and couldnt fall asleep easily at all. Brooke took over and hugged Tristan's tiny wiggling body until she calmed him down.

Brooke began feeling her eye lids droop as she lost the battle to stay awake until Tristan was asleep. She felt like such a horrible mom for having to leave him all the time. It made her sick to think that her children needed to be ill in order to get more undivided attention, like Jeremy and even Eli. She needed some sign that she wasn't a horrible person or she would never forgive herself.

Well that sign came in the following form: a small, sleepy whisper.

"I wuv you."

With that, Tristan fell asleep peacefully. And so did Brooke.

**I love tender parent/child moments . Things are kind of calming down for the Bakers so I will be able to focus on everyone, not just certain people anymore. I'm trying my best to include everyone, but it is very hard, as you can notice. Thanks for being great readers! **

**~Haleyyyyyy**


	35. Chapter 35

**REMINDER!!:**

everyone please go to the CW's website and send the CW feedback everyday about OTH season 8 and to join in on the 'We are One' campaign this week. thanks!

**Only three chapters left, including this one! Don't worry people. **  
**Now that we have OTH back on TV it won't be too hard without this story.  
****Plus i have already starrted planning ideas for the sequel! :)**

**OH MY GOODNESS! i was so excited to see a new OTH on TV yesterday! i dont necessarily think it was the greatest ep ever, **  
**(too much clay & skills drama, not enough brulian, naley together) but it was enough to quench my dire OTH haitus thirst.**  
**(Although i never find there is enough brooke ever!)**  
**I saw previews from next week and am totally super excited about it! **

**Chapter 35**

Brooke was still half asleep when she heard Julian shushing Tristan as they left the bedroom to get breakfast started. She could also hear Nolan in another distant room yelling about something. She felt the sun beaming through the windows and hitting her closed eyelids. Tiny thumping feet were now getting closer and closer until the sun was blocked by something standing over her. Brooke finally decided to open her eyes and she was met with a sad looking Jordan.

"Nolan said she hates me."

"Aww sweetie. I'm sure she didn't mean it. Come here."

Brooke grabbed her daughter and pulled her in close. Jordan shifted so her back was against Brooke's stomach and buried her head into Brooke's arm. Brooke rubbed Jordan's side and somehow fell asleep again. She was exhausted from the three A.M feeding of Bentley and then the four A.M feeding of Sienna.

She woke up about an hour later to her body bouncing up and down lightly on the bed. She leaned up on her arm to find Tristan jumping on the end of the bed, Jordan's arms wrapped around her stomach, and Nolan lying with her head on the back of Brooke's knees.

"Hi Mumma!" Tristan squealed. "Daddy says get up now."

"Oh really?"

"Yep. Girls a' lazy."

With that he jumped off the bed and scampered out of the room before Brooke could reach him. Brooke rubbed the hair out of Nolan's eyes and tried to free herself from Jordan.

"Girls…wake uh-up…" she sang softly.

She heard some grumbling before their eyes opened. Two minutes later, Brooke was in the kitchen greeting the rest of the family good morning. Jordan rode on Brooke's back and jumped down to join Nolan and Tristan at the table for the pancake breakfast their dad had just made. Brooke approached Julian from behind, wrapped her arms around his middle, and kissed his shoulder blade.

"Good morning. I hear that you think I'm lazy."

"Oops..."

"Yeah, oops!" Brooke slapped his butt.

"There's mommy little angel!" Brooke ruffled Tristan's hair as she walked past the kitchen table and over to the baby swings. Sienna was wide awake while Bentley still slept. Sienna grabbed her finger when she knelt down to her level.

"I just fed and burped them" Julian informed her.

"Okay babe. Any sound coming from Eli's room yet?"

"Nope. Still sound asleep. It's near impossible in this house but she's mastered it."

"Yeah well, good. She needs rest…"

"No I don't. I need to start living." Eli emerged from her room at that exact moment and padded her way slowly to the nearest kitchen stool. "Morning. Water please."

Julian got her a water bottle from the fridge as popped the two pills she had in her hand into her mouth. One was a prescription pain killer and the other was anti-nausea medication since her chemo started soon.

"Are we going to bring Jeremy home today Mommy? It's his turn to come home." Jordan asked with her mouth full of pancakes.

"Well Daddy and I have to go visit with his doctors but he won't be able to come home with us, no sweetie."

"Oh."

"And Mommy also has to take Ben and Sienna to get checkups too."

"Can I come?" Jordan asked sweetly.

"No I wanna go!" Nolan protested.

"Umm…" Brooke looked to Julian for help.

"Hey girls, don't you want to go out with me and Tristan. I was planning on taking a ride to the beach and we could go to your favorite restaurant."

"Cheesecake Factory?! I wanna go!" Jordan screamed.

"Okay then. Go get your bathing suit and a nice sundress."

"Swim!" Tristan jumped off his chair and ran down the hall to his room, not that he would get his own clothes out though.

Nolan looked at Julian. "Thanks Dad, but I think I wanna go with Mom."

"Whatever you want, princess."

He found it odd that she didn't want to go to the beach but respected her decision.

;;

Brooke and Julian packed up the kids in their respective cars and headed to the same place: the NICU. The nurses in that part of the hospital had become like family to them, so Brulian felt comfortable leaving the five kids with them for a few minutes while they talked with the pediatric specialist about Jeremy.

"Now weaning him off the ventilator was a huge step forward, but he still has a big hill to climb. His motor skills are not up to where they should be and he is not feeding or gaining weight the way he should…Blah blah blah."

Brooke tried to block out the negativity while she cradled Jeremy in her arms. This new doctor was just being realistic, but Brooke definitely liked the old one better.

"Is there any way that you could give us a time table for bringing him home?" Julian read her mind sometimes.

"Well once he gains some more weight and gets more on track with his siblings, the nurses teach you to use his feeding tube. Then you could bring him home anytime. He will also need extra doctors' visits once he goes home to monitor his care. It may not be ideal for a large family like yours to be overwhelmed with his extra care, but if that's what you want--"

"IT IS! Of course it is!"

"Then he could potentially be going home next week."

Brooke and Julian smiled. Their family would finally be together.

;;

When Julian left the hospital with Tristan and Jordan, Brooke made her way downstairs and across the hospital with two baby carriers, a diaper bag on her arms and Nolan.

"Why didn't you want to go with your dad to the beach?"

"I did…but I wanted to get away from Jordan."

"What? Why sweets?"

"She's been driving me crazy. Ever since you had to stay in the hospital, I've been stuck with her. She's getting on my nerves for months. She's almost three years younger, but we get lumped in together. I mean, I love her and all, but enough is enough…"

"Oh sweetie, I'm sorry. I know things have been crazier than crazy for a while now but things are going to settle down. School will start up again before you know it and you'll be hanging out with kids your own age. I promise, things will get better."

"Okayyyy… I never thought I'd be looking forward to school."

Brooke laughed at Nolan. She was proud of her for letting her feelings out.

"But I did want to spend the day with you and the babies too. I miss you Mom."

"I missed you too baby. I love you."

"You too."

"Baker?" Brooke's head turned to the nurse.

"Right here."

The nurse helped Brooke get the babies into an exam room and Nolan helped her undress them. Brooke noticed how Nolan was an extremely good big sister. She bounced Sienna on her knee while Brooke and the doctor talked about Bentley and vise versa. She held each baby's hands and distracted them while they got their shots. Nolan was a natural at being a big sister. Brooke could even start to see how much Nolan's personality was reflected in Sienna already.

"Do you think we could get ice cream before we take the babies home?"

"I think that's a great idea honey."

'

**_major _Brulian in the last two chapters! :]**  
**(p.s. there will be some rated M stuff so beware!)**

**~Haley**


	36. Chapter 36

**HEY GUYS! Second to last chapter here!**  
**Send me ideas for the future sequel!**

**I'm super busy because my PROM IS TOMORROW!!! **  
**It's super early in the season but that's cause i only have TEN days of classes left! **  
**We've been counting down to these last days since the first day of school: 147 school days ago!**  
**AHHHH SO EXCITED!**

Chapter 36

June 27 was a good day. Six week old Jeremy was finally home!

Brooke and Julian had been briefed on how to supplement through his feeding tube whatever Jeremy didn't drink from the bottle. Brooke then changed him into his cute little green outfit and they were soon pulling into the driveway.

Brooke and Julian lined their babies up beside one another for their first photo-op together in the backyard and in front of the mantel in the formal living room. Sienna and Jeremy had never even met before this moment.

Brooke dressed all seven kids in matching outfits and Julian snapped away hundreds of pictures. Eliot was happy to be included, but she did think Brooke's outfit selection was a little ridiculous. And even though she felt terrible from the second round of chemo she got the Wednesday past, she wanted to make Brooke and Julian happy. After all, they had given her everything she ever wanted: a stable home, a family, and love.

"Christmas cards!" Brooke squealed over and over again. The happiness poured off her face.

Once the kids had made it clear that no more good shots were going to come out of the event, Julian treated the whole family to a dinner out at a local restaurant. It was an interesting evening, with kids running around and babies crying a lot, but Brooke and Julian were ecstatic that their life had reached this point. It was organized chaos. And they loved every minute.

;

The next day, Brulian invited all their friends and family over for a big barbeque. It wasn't in celebration of anything in particular, just a gathering of loved ones to appreciate how blessed they were. Everyone met the babies who didn't already do so and all the kids and adults alike get to play with their friends.

Julian and Eliot's brother Jason even came and apologized to them. He said he had no idea that their father would react that way and was very sorry. He asked Julian to be the best man in his wedding in a few weeks and Julian accepted.

.

"I can't believe how alert he is Brooke!"

Rachel bounced Bentley in her arms as he took in everything going on around him.

"I know, he's the best. He is actually the best at sleeping through the night now. From about 11 to 5. Sienna is a little shorter, but Jeremy is the one who's up constantly."

"Wow, that's impressive." Haley added. "Rylan isn't that cooperative, but I make Daddy deal with her, don't I little lady?" Haley held a fussy Rylan in her arms.

"I'm so glad things are settling down for you Brooke." Rachel said.

"Me too. Now we can actually see you more. I feel like we've been separated by baby bottles and diapers for months."

"Oh we have…" Brooke admitted.

"How's Eliot doing? You know, the cancer. How's she dealing with it?"

"Surprisingly good. Better than I ever would. She's been through a lot in her life, so she's ready to kick cancer's ass."

"Good for her!"

;

When the party got over, it was pretty late so Julian took the task of getting everyone to bed. The kids were all exhausted from their fun with the other kids, so they went down pretty fast. Julian entered the master bedroom and locked the door behind him in order to ward off little beings disrupting them in the night. He watched his wife as she leaned against the headboard on the bed and crossed her legs at her ankles. She was concentrated on the laptop in front of her. Julian smiled. She was so cute when she was concentrating on something.

"They all go down okay?"

"Yes. I don't think we'll see anyone until the morning."

"I doubt it."

"Don't be so sure…" Julian approached the bed. "You don't look too good. You feel okay?" He touched the back of his hand to her forehead.

"I feel fine babe."

"I don't know….I think you should see a doctor."

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm fine. Just reading about how occupational therapy is beneficial to preemies. We should really look into it more."

"Later." Julian grabbed the laptop and placed it on the nightstand. "I think I need to _examine _you."

Brooke began to be aware of his plans. "Oh and you're a doctor now?" She played along.

"Yes I am, miss. Now I need you to lie down on your back…" Julian grinned.

"Julian, no. I'm tired. Let's just sleep."

"If you're tired, then you must be sick…" Julian leaned down and kissed her neck.

"No. It's just that I have a lot of children to look after."

"Maybe I can get rid of some tension for you."

"Oh Julian, no."

"Ms. Davis please…it's nothing to be scared of."

"Julian you are ridiculous."

"Ridiculously in love with you…" Then he started to tickle her. That always got her to crack.

"Julian!...hahahah…No…stop….ahh…hahahah…okay fine!...ahh…you win!..."

Julian stopped and she immediately lied down on her back. She would play along. He had been very _patient _these last ten months.

"Be gentle doctor."

Julian's grin only expanded. He would devote this night to pleasing his wife. She deserved it.

Julian ripped off his shirt and started by messaging Brooke's amazing legs, working his way from the bottom up. He then did the same with her arms, kissing and rubbing them. All the while, he said things that he thought a doctor might say, but in a dirty, sexy way.

"I'm just going to remove you nightie so I can get a better look…"

Brooke laughed. Roll play was so unlike him, but she was enjoying it so far.

He ever so gently removed her clothes until only her panties remained.

"Are you going to check me for lumps, doctor?"

"Boy, am I ever…" Julian's eyes widened and Brooke giggled.

Soon Julian was straddling Brooke's petite body. He kissed every inch of her skin. His hands began to wander over her stomach and trickled below her panty line.

"I think it's time to start the internal exam, miss. Are you okay with that?"

"I'm kind of nervous" Brooke played.

"I'll tell you everything I'm going to do to you."

Julian slipped her panties off in record time and messaged Brooke's thighs again.

"I'm going to move very slowly…"

Julian rubbed Brooke's center and soon entered a finger inside his wife. Then another…and another.

Brooke moaned and moved her hips up in his direction. He lowered his head and pleased her more with his tongue.

"More…come to me Julian!" Brooke yelled a little louder than she should have.

Suddenly Julian began to rise off the bed and acted like he was getting her clothes back for her.

"You seem to be in perfect health, miss."

"What?" Brooke complained. "Get back here!" Brooke grabbed Julian by the waistband of his boxers. "I don't think you are done, doctor."

Julian laughed. "I was just kidding babe. Just going to get a condom." He reminded her.

"No. It's okay."

"You sure?"

"It took us IVF and two years to get the triplets, it's very unlikely."

Julian was okay with that. The risk was half the fun. They were happily married…

The games were now over. Now all Brooke wanted was her husband inside her, not a doctor…

Julian wasted no time in disregarding his boxers where Brooke's clothes lay in a heap on the floor. He kissed her lips intensely and touched every part of her with his roaming hands. She did the same and was surprised to see how hard he already was. She guessed this doctor thing really _interested_ him. She directed him so he entered her gently. He wanted to savor this but she wanted it hard and fast. They found a happy-medium and they began to rock their hips in unison. After a few minutes they both began to reach their climax.

"Come Julian….Come!"

"I'm coming honey…oh you are so beautiful"

She moaned into his chest and held on to the hair on the back of his head. She called out his name.

This was amazing. He did things to her she never imagined but _loved_.

Maybe it was all the stress in their lives lately or the fact that they didnt have much time for intimacy, but this was the best Brooke had ever felt.

She had been overly satisfied by him times before, but this was even _more_.

"I love you. I love you so much." He panted as he released into her.

She felt the same way, but definitely could not speak at that moment…

'

**Hope you liked the steamy chapter :) **

**ONE MORE CHAPTER! :)**

**Thanks for being such great fans! :]**

**Please try and get me to 200 reviews!!!!!! :]]**

**~Haley**


	37. Chapter 37

**Prom and after party were amazing. IHOP at 3AM and the beach were pretty crazy too lol.**

**Thank you to all who read, especially to the people who showed their support the most!:  
****arubagirl0926, Oreo-PeanutButter-Macaroni, HaileyBOTH, simy, Love me some Julian, sb1218, Carson, Sophie, Brucasfan23, and others!**

**This is it! **

Chapter 37

Months had gone by and the Bakers had achieved so much. It was now the middle of March.

The ten-month-old triplets were all weighing in on the doctors' charts (in the first percentile, but still), which was a great feat for being so premature. Eliot's blood tests came back clean as a whistle at Christmas time and she was pretty much in remission. She was forced to shave her beautiful blonde hair after a few rounds of chemo, but Brooke had fashioned her some cool scarves so she didn't mind as much. She had adopted a go-with-the-flow-and-embrace-life attitude lately which doctor's attributed to her progress. Jeremy was off his feeding tube and was progressing like Bentley and Sienna. Brulian and even the doctors still had little idea of what complications the triplets may have in the future due to their prematurity, but now they were just happy, health, active babies.

Brooke got home that afternoon around five o'clock with the oldest four kids in tow. She had taken them to the COB office in the late morning to drop off her new sketches and then to play mini golf and to have ice cream as a treat. The babies were still too young to walk, play or get that much sun, so Julian elected to stay behind.

"Daddy! We're home!" Jordan announced loudly.

As Brooke unloaded the beach stuff from the trunk, Eli approached her.

"So Brooke..." Eli began.

"Yes hun, what's up."

"I heard something interesting today."

"Yeah?" Brooke was curious. Eliot sat down beside her.

"The girls came to me when I took them on that walk down the beach, and they asked me why you were screaming the other night.

"What?" Brooke was taken aback and a bit confused.

"Yeah. You were…uh… screaming for Julian to …uh…_come_."

Eliot raised her eyebrows on the last word. She couldn't help but laugh. She wasn't a little kid. Eli totally knew what they were doing last night. Brooke hid her face with her hands.

"Oh my god. They heard that? Um…" She didn't know what to say.

"That was literally their word choice, not mine!" Eli threw her hands up in defense.

All Brooke could think was about _all _the times she and Julian had been less-than-quiet while they made love: which was pretty much every time!

She hadn't been this embarrassed since Peyton's dad Larry called her out for him being her 'hot dad' fantasy. No scratch that. This was way worse.

"I just thought you should know that the walls are kinda thin. Just saying…"

"What did you tell them?"

"I told them that he must have been in the bathroom and you told him to come to bed, that it was past his bedtime or something. They don't suspect a thing, i don't think."

"Thank you Eli. I'm so so sorry."

Eliot grabbed a bag and walked toward the front door.

"Just...keep it down next time, will you …you horny teenagers." Eli joked.

;

"Julian??" Brooke was surprised to hear no response from her husband when she entered the house yet he could hear Sienna's distinct cry coming from the nursery.

"We've got her, Brooke."

Eliot and Jordan went to get check on the babies while Tristan dragged Nolan outside in the front yard to play whiffle ball. Brooke knocked on her bedroom door and opened it. The room was empty. When she walked back into the kitchen, she saw a note on the counter that said '_come outside_'.

Brooke stepped into the backyard and saw her husband standing near a beautifully set table in a suit. The sun was starting to set behind him and she swore that he looked just like a smoking hot beer commercial. Wow, her husband was irresistable.

"Jay? What's going on?"

"I thought we could use a little date night…"

There was that grin she loved more everyday.

"Did you cook?"

"I did, you surprised? I made a deal with the kids and they are going to be quiet and stay inside while Mommy and Daddy have some alone time. I just had to give them my arm and a leg."

"Really? I don't know Julian. Eli shouldn't be chasing around Tristan or be in charge of all three babies in her condition."

"She's fine Brooke. We're right here. Plus I got the girls that new Twilight IV movie they've been asking for so they'll be pretty quiet tonight."

Brooke smiled at looked at what Julian had set up for her.

"I made so much food. I couldn't decide which of your favorites to make you so i made well…everything…"

"You are the best husband."

"I try."

Before they sat down to eat Brooke wanted to tell Julian. "Something happened today."

"Oh no what?"

"Nolan and Jordan heard us last night…"

"Huh?"

"You know…in our bedroom…without our clothes…" Brooke tipped her head side to side and raised her eyebrows. "_Coming_…"

"Oh shit."

"Yeah. They asked Eli why I was yelling at you to come."

"Oh god. What kind of example are we setting…we've been doing it like rabbits!"

Brooke laughed at his reaction. "Don't worry hun. I think she handled it well, she distracted them. Plus, we are two married adults. There is nothing wrong with what we do behind closed doors."

"Well from the looks of things, we could've just left them open from what they heard! Aw gross. My daughters, my little sister…uggh."

He buried his head in his hands and backed away, separating himself from Brooke a little. His face scrunched up in disgust.

"I know. I know but it's not like Eli's oblivious."

Julian's head shot up. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well…Julian…come on… she's in high school. We've both been in high school."

"No no no. She shouldnt think about that. What? No no she's way too young. Do you think she's…"

"Oh goodness Mr. Protective. No. She's not having sex...well, now."

"Now?! She has before?! WHAT! Uh…but maybe I should…ya know. Talk to her about it. STOP HER from doing it again. EVER."

Brooke laughed. "Good luck."

"Will you do it? Talk to her i mean. Please…You're a girl." He frowned pathetically.

"Oh okay fine, you chicken. But later, not today"

"That's fine. Tonight is for us."

Julian pulled out Brooke's seat as she sat down at the table he had setup with beautiful flowers and her favorite wine. As they ate, Brooke began to feel a huge sense of déjà vu.

"You still can't put your finger on it, can you?"

Brooke was brought out of her daze. She looked up from her plate to Julian.

"What are you talking about?"

"You can't figure out why everything is so familiar…I can tell. I know you, Brooke Davis."

"Okay then. Please help me. It's driving me crazy."

Julian randomly pulled out his phone to read a text.

"I'm so sorry Brooke. There is a little emergency at work that I have to attend to. There's a location for tomorrow that is going to fall through if I don't go to the office to sort it out. It's nothing big, but we'll have to cut the night short a little. I'm so so sorry—" But he didn't stand up. He sat there and waited for her to catch on.

Only then did Brooke realize what he was saying. "Oh my god. Our first date…"

"The one where you didn't know I had Nolan," he reminded.

"Oh wow. You remembered everything…it's the exact same table setup and food and your suit is the same too!"

"Happy Anniversary Brooke."

"Babe…we got married in January…"

"No silly goof: It's the fourth anniversary of our first date, March 19th. It was the day I realized I would love you as my wife and the mother of my children forever."

Julian pulled out a wrapped present for Brooke. She opened it to find a beautiful necklace with a heart pendant. The pendant contained the birthstones of Brooke, Julian, and all the kids.

"It's so beautiful. Thank you. Wow I can't believe you remembered this exact date."

"I know you doubted me that first night but I want to assure you, Brooke. I will never let you down. That night…I never expected to have this great life and these wonderful seventy-thousand children or a little sister living with us. But I did know one thing: I had found the one, the girl who put my dreams to shame. You are the only woman that I have ever loved or will ever love this way. You are my everything, Brooke..."

Brooke moved over and sat on Julian's lap. She kissed him passionately and then came up for some air when she heard giggling.

"OoOoOOoooOoOOOoooOOOooOO!!!" Their two oldest daughters stood on the deck near the door to the house and watched their parents.

"Girls! Go back inside please…You won't want to see this."

Brooke laughed as Julian dove into her lips again. They took little peaks to see if the girls were still there but they had gone back inside.

"I love you Brooke Baker."

"I love you Julian Baker. More than you will ever know."

**THE END.**

**I'm so thankful for everyone who read and I will have a sequel up in the coming weeks. I am crazy busy with my AP exams and graduation and everything going on in my life right now so it'll probably be the middle to end of May at least before you see anything new. I will post here when I do start the sequel though. ****Please send ideas about what you want to see.**** What should the sequel's new title be? It will be a future fic so I can get the triplets up to a talking age and Nolan will be a teenager! Eliot will probably be in college so I'm sorry if she's not in it but I'll try to include her too. **

**Thanks everyone! Please give one last review for this story!!!! **

**~Haley :]]**


	38. AN

**AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!**

**SEASON EIGHT IS OFFICIAL! YAYAYAYAY!**

**my goodness, my goodness the OTH season finale was crazy! **

**AHHHH I WAS SO HAPPY AND LITERALLY JUMPING UP AND DOWN ON THE COUCH DURING THE LAST TEN MINUTES OF THE FINALE! **

**WITH BRULIAN ENGAGED, NALEY PREGNANT, the ALEX/CHASE POSSIBILITY AND CRAZY KATIE SHOOTING C&Q, I WAS SO HAPPILY SHOCKED!**

**i thought i'd give you my opinions because i am just so _ahhh_! with excitement and cant wait for september episodes! So i watched on Monday night, just like a loyal fan should, and it KILLED me not to be able to talk to my friends about it. the two of them had to work monday night but i taped it and we watched it last night together (i was happy since i love rewatching episodes all week when i have time until the new ones air). Much the way i was, they were both pretty confused as to why i was so happy about the episode at about 45 minutes in since nothing exciting or shocking was happening. it seemed too much like a series finale. I had told them how great it was and how i was jumping up and down, squealing on the couch when it ended, but they didnt quite get it yet. We all predicted that brulian would get engaged and haley was pregnant, which then happened. my friends actually said 'i'm pregnant!' right with haley lol so they saw that coming. but i watched their reactions when quinn and clay were shot and they were hilarious. My first friend's hand went over her mouth and the other one gasped loudly and her eyes were so wide. it was funny actually. then they started yelling at me "THAT's IT!" They said they were mad at me for not 'taking one for the team' and not showing them that end shocker part. They said i should have just stopped the TiVO tape after naley's scene lol so they didnt have to wait all summer to see the outcome. We cannot wait for season 8 and i know most of you feel the same. I'm so glad that wasnt the end and when we watched it last night, we still hadnt heard about the renewal yet so we were nervous. Brulian were talking about happy endings and that last song was making me scared that no new season was in the future. but that's not the case anymore. it's not true thank god. My thoughts are that quinn wont die since haley just came out of a major depression from her mom's death and that would send her over the deep end, and so either clay will or neither of them will die. i bet it will be like this: one of them will wake up and the other will be in a coma. then they will sit by the other one's bedside and cry until they awaken lol. then they can move on. i've seen this reaction from others and i agree that i wont be as sad if clay or quinn died as when Q or esp keith died, cause they arent the MAIN characters i feel. as long as my Brulan and Naley are intact, i could care less who leaves the show (a prime example being leyton). i do know thta most people miss leyton but you can probly see my point here about clay/quinn not being a huge loss. i kinda want MARK to fast forward to when we can see brulian and naley-family-of- four start their lives. they should start season 8 with brulian getting married already and naley baby born right at the beginning lol. cause i still hold out hope for a miracle baby baker story line to emerge ;] and i wanna see how that plays out. BROOKE FINALLY GETS A HAPPY ENDING which i am ecstatic about (since i am probly one of the biggest brooke fans since day one). oh and nathan looked so hot as always. loved the snow scenes, and julian/jamie! (he'll be a great dad im sure) and mouth dancing, and brooke's face during the proposal (boy does julian have a way with words), and alex/chase are adorable. **

**The point of this post is also to say that my sequel 'BAKER LIFE' will be up in a week or so. **

**i'm GRADUATING THIS WEEKEND!  
and then i'll have all summer to write a wonderful story for you. **

**~Haleyyyyyy :]]]]]**


	39. AN2

**I just uploaded the sequel, BAKER LIFE like two minutes ago. **

**It came sooner than i thought actually.**

**Enjoy! :]**

**~Haley**


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